which make the distinctions of eight other windes called sub-principall and which compound their names of their two next collaterall windes expressing the most notable first to wit North-northeast North-northwest South-southeast South-southwest East-northeast East-southeast West-northwest West-south-west Moreouer they that frequent the Mediterran sea as Greekes and Italians do cal the north Transmontano the south Austro east Leuante west Ponante northeast Greco northwest Maestro southeast Sirocho southwest Garbin and so of them compound the names of the other eight windes which are betwixt them as hath beene before declared And we must note that the windes haue commonly euery one their turne in such sort that when one opposite wind ceaseth and is laid his contrarie riseth Notable things in the windes But if at any time the next winde to that which ceaseth begin to blowe it runs byas-wise from left hand to right as the sun doth and one may know the fourth daie of the moone what winde will raigne longest during her time But the easterne windes do longer endure then those which rise towards the west And the sunne doth strengthen the winde and also appease it for at his rising setting they are commonly greatest at noone he calmeth them especially in sommer The winde is also commonly found to lie still either at midday or at midnight for it doth alwaies cease either through great colde or through vehement heate Likewise the raine doth make it cease whereupon this prouerbe sprung vp that little raine allaieth much winde But it is woondrous that the windes which are as it were but a puffe should performe such things as men could not doe with their hands yea though there were a multitude togither For how many people neede there be yea horses and oxen yoked togither to breake burst and pull vp the great and mightie trees which the winde abateth ouerturneth breaketh and rooteth vp with a blast onely And herein we haue goodly matter againe Testimonies of the diuine omnipotencie in the windes whereby to profite in the acknowledgement of the soueraigne maiestie and almightie prouidence of the creator and gouernour of all nature For it is certaine that as the Lord manifesteth himselfe to men such as they may comprehend him to be when he calleth the sound and noise of thunder his voice that he performeth admirable things as we haue alreadie noted we may perceiue that he doth the like also by violence of the windes And therefore the prophet saith I know that the Lord is great and that our God is aboue all Gods Whatsoeuer pleased the Lord Psal 135. that did he in heauen and in earth in the sea and in all the depths He bringeth vp the cloudes from the ends of the earth and maketh the lightnings with the raine he draweth foorth the winde out of his treasures Ierem. 10. It is he saith Ieremie that giueth by his voice the multitude of waters in the heauen and he causeth the cloudes to ascend from the ends of the earth he casteth out lightnings in the raine and bringeth foorth the windes out of his treasures The winde saith the Preacher goeth towarde the south Eccles 1. and compasseth toward the north the winde goeth round about and returneth by his circuits Now if the blasts of the winds be so strong it must needes be that the bellowes out of which they are blowen must be puissant and mightie For although it is written of the wicked Psal 10. that they are so proud and doe presume so much of their force and power that they seeme to be able to ouerthrow men townes and fortified places onely with a blast yet neuertheles it is the Lord who hath the power to abate them and all the loftie and stout with all their forts and bulwarks For all the windes togither are but as one little puffe which passeth from his mouth Wherefore if in breathing onely he driueth and remooueth heauen earth and the sea and all this world performing actes so great and woonderfull what may we esteeme of his soueraigne force when he would imploy his whole power For there is neither winde nor thunder nor deluges of water nor any thing that is comparable to the wrath of God and to the power which he hath to execute his vengeance vpon his enemies But he emploieth his creatures as the ministers of his wrath when and how he pleaseth And therefore the diuine poet in his canticles wishing liuely to describe the assistance that God had shewed him Psal 18. in deliuering him out of the hands of the wicked and in punishing them he proposeth him comming accompanied with fearefull thunders with thicke cloudes with vehement windes and stormes with lightnings tempests great raine hard haile and darke weather so that the foundations of the sea and of the earth couered with waters were discouered and the earth was mooued and trembled the mountaines shooke and bowed bicause of the furie of the wrath of the Lord. For indeede who is God but the Lord and who is mightie but our God Now it is certaine that bicause men cannot comprehēd the greatnes of the power and wrath of God against the wicked the holy Ghost doth often speake of naturall things by the prophets for to make them vnderstand by that which is visible in nature and which may most astonish and affray them So then if we shall consider so many excellent points of doctrine concerning the prouidence of God as are taught vs in the schoole of nature by meanes of the meteors as we haue hitherto discoursed of the cloudes thunders lightnings stormes flouds of water windes whirlewindes and tempestes they will serue vs no lesse for preachers then the celestiall bodies doe to manifest vnto vs especially the iudgements and heauie plagues of the almightie and to make vs oftner thinke thereupon then we doe as also the raines by the fertilitie which they cause in the earth will minister matter vnto vs to acknowledge his blessing and perpetuall grace vpon those who feare and honour him Wherefore wee haue rested long ynough in that which particularly concerneth and is dependent vpon the two higher elements the fire and the aire sauing that before we intreat of the earth and of the water and of the principall things worthy of consideration in them we wil say somewhat concerning the birdes of the aire seeing that we haue already comprised them as in truth they must be amongst the things conioyned and depending vpon the higher elements I will leaue you then ACHITOB to discourse vpon their nature Of the foules of the aire and namely of the Manucodiata of the Eagle of the Phenix and of other wilde foule Chap. 52. ACHITOB. HAuing discoursed though simply like disciples of Christian doctrine and not like masters and professors of naturall philosophie vpon the two higher elements the fire and the aire and hauing considered their nature and effects and the things engendred in them and by them it falleth very fitly for vs
the acts and power of this Empire But howsoeuer it be wee haue in the doctrine of the spheres most excellent principles and grounds which prepare men to the knowledge of nature and the author thereof yea which aduance them if they can apply this studie to his proper ende in the vnderstanding of the secrets wisdome and prouidence of God so far as the mind of man can pierce thereinto Let vs then companions direct our sight straight towards the place which wee must apprehend to be blessed to wit towards heauen and let vs especially regard God in his workes as the onely limit whereto we shall and must once attaine ACHITOB. The orderly motions of the heauens the goodly workemanship of so many starry pauilions disposed one aboue the other without any inter-annoiāce in their course the accord agreement power vertue and beautie of the elements the situation stabilitie and largenes of the earth in midst of the waters which continually threaten it and yet drowne it not and so many diuers natures and creatures which are which liue which haue sense and vnderstanding in this whole great Vniuers and serue each one in his place all these things I say are like so many interpreters to teach vs God as their onely efficient cause and to manifest him vnto vs in them and by them as their finall cause Therefore pursuing our first intent sufficiently declared in the beginning of our Academick discourse and according to the processe of the talke by vs obserued in our description of the naturall history of the Microcosme or little world let vs here make companions as it were another history of the Macrocosme or great world first entreating of the creation of the world then of the diuision of the same afterwards of the orders of the spheres of their substance natures and motions of the influences and effects of their planets consequently of the elements and lastly of euery essence and creature therein contained not by a particular description of their kindes which would amount to a work almost infinite but onely of the principall of each sort and so much as wee shall hold sufficient to induce euery one of vs and of those which will deigne to heare vs to consider and highly to praise the wisedome of the father and moderator of all these things in the creation conduction gouernance and end of them and by the vnion of their parts with the whole and among themselues we haue enough to refer the euent of our purpose to their beginning and principall scope which is to know God and his prouidence to the end to glorifie him Declare then vnto vs ASER that which you haue learned of the creation of heauen and earth THE FIRST DAIES WORKE OF THE THIRD TOME OF THE FRENCH Academie Of Heauen and Earth Of the creation of Heauen and Earth Chapter 1. ASER. IF all men guided by reason as Plato very wel said haue a custome to inuocate on God in the beginning of their worke In Tim. whether it be great or little how much more conuenient is it that desiring to dispute of the Vniuers if wee retaine any iudgement at all we should call God to our aide It is very difficult to speake as is requisite of the celestiall bodies and of so many diuers motions as they haue and yet not one hinder another but it is a much more high and intricate matter to finde out the workman and father of all this great world And when we shall haue found him it is altogether impossible vulgarly to expresse the cause reason of his works For though as it is the glorie and infinite wisedome of God shineth in this admirable construction of heauen and earth yet our capacitie is too too smal to comprise so great profound effects so much it wanteth that the toong may bee able to make a full and entire declaration thereof And we cannot hold disputation or argument vpon that which doth not offer it selfe vnto our sense and proper reason as is the creation of the world For therein haue we that woonderfull Architect whom Hermes called the great infinite sphere intellectual whose center is all that which is throughout the world created who performing his worke and giuing motion to all the celestiall bodies doth himselfe continue stable Now that which mouing is not it selfe moued surpasseth al discourses speculations humane and philosophicall and appertaineth to a diuine knowledge the which we ought to impetrate through praiers by reuelation of the holy Spirit euen in such sort as all things naturall are inuented and comprehended by reason demonstration and all morall are obtained by arte and vse Praier to God Then of the soueraigne and true God with his eternal Word and holy Spirit which three are one essence one God in Trinitie of persons Exod. 3. whose name is I will be that I will be or I am that I am Almightie Eternall Creator and gouernor of euery soule and bodie in contemplation of whom consisteth the onely good the true felicitie and blessednes of man whom he himselfe hath created to attaine thereunto a liuing creature reasonable by the gift of vnderstanding and free-will Who being iust permitteth not his creature made according to his owne image to remaine vnpunished hauing sinned and being merciful hath not left him without grace who hath giuen both to the good and euill an essence with the stones a life vegetatiue and full of seede with the plants a life sensuall with the beasts and a life intellectuall with the Angels from whom proceedeth all gouernance all goodlines and all order by whom all that is naturall euen from the highest of heauen to the center of the earth doth subsist of whom are the seedes of formes the formes of seedes the mouings of seedes and of formes who being good hath not left regardlesse not onely the sphericall and elementarie world or else the Angels and man but euen the entrailes of the most small and contemptible amongst creatures neither the lightest feather of the birds nor the least flower of the herbe nor leafe of the tree engrauing in each of all these things the workes of his omnipotencie certaine signes of his glorie and maiestie by the couenant and accord of euery of their parts and as it were by I wot not what manner of peace Of him I say father and moderator of all that which is which liueth which hath sense and vnderstandeth let vs request Companions that with the light of his wisedome he will illuminate our vnderstandings and by his holy spirit direct and gouerne our words meetely to discourse of according as mans power is able the works of his al-mighty hand in heauen and in earth according as our intent is The beginning of euerie thing whatsoeuer is of such waight and importance that on the knowledge of the same dependeth all the science thereof for it is impossible that a man can be skilfull in any thing if he be ignorant
in the principles and first causes of the subiect which he desireth to know contrariwise hauing well knowne them the vnderstanding of the effects which thereupon ensue of the vertues and qualities which thereby redound of the actions which therof proceed of the degrees which therein are established of the bounds and limits whereto these first causes tend to obtaine their perfection declareth it selfe as of it owne accord without great difficultie and much paine This was the cause why many sages in old time despising the care of temporall affaires addicted themselues altogether to search out the cause of all nature so that the most excellent of them would boldly discourse of the originall and making of the world But the saying of Plato remaining euer true that it is as hard to finde out the maker and father of this All as to speake properly of him being found out it so falleth out that the most part of them who haue entreated of so loftie a matter haue erred straying by diuers by-waies yea euen all those whom the Son of Iustice hath not fully illuminated with his supreme brightnes Thereupon it proceeded that the philosophers haue beene diuided into diuers and contrarie opinions about this question whether the world hath beene from euerlasting or whether it hath beene of late whether of necessitie or else by the free will and motion of God Aristotle with all the troupe of those Diuers opinions of the Philosophers in thâ—â— argument of the being of the world who beleeue nothing but that which they can inuent and comprise by naturall reasons and syllogismes taken from sensible things which guide them to a certaine demonstration not being able thereby to vnderstand how and wherefore heauen earth haue beene created affirme that they were neuer made but that they haue beene from eternitie But Plato followed of a great number of the most cleere-sighted wisemen hath confessed the generation of the world which he teacheth to be ordered and disposed by compleat and perfect numbers vnder the vaile of which the obscure notes of hidden sense it seemeth that he would hide the close mysteries of the creation of the vniuers to those which were not yet instructed in such secrets which onely may be comprehended by a pure and celestiall cogitation diuinely infused For let vs know that there is no certaintie at all of this doctrine except for those to whom the minde by a special and supernaturall grace is sharp being fashioned and formed by meditation of the immutable substance of God himselfe and by a secret operation of the holy Ghost to beleeue that it is the Eternall who by his word hath made all nature For so the Soueraigne Creator talketh with man and establisheth a certaine testimonie of his truth in the heart of him when he hath made him proper and meet to heare him with the best and most excellent part of his vnderstanding in regard whereof he is said to be made according to his owne image But although these things may be knowne being nor far remote from our interiour How the creation of the world may be belieued or exteriour senses yea so that they may be called present and whereof no doubt is to bee made especially being supported by authoritie of good witnesses yet those things which surpasse the ordinarie puissance of the minde because by our owne iudgement we cannot credit them must be considered and beleeued according to that couenant of verities which they announce vnto vs who haue known theÌ„ by our vnderstanding peaceful and duely purged so that we may adde faith to such holy personages as God hath made capable of his light and which instruct vs not in the things which they haue imagined but in such as they haue heard receiued from diuine oracles It is then of their authoritie that he must make a buckler whosoeuer will meetly debate of God and of his workes and of his prouidence in the gouernance of them And when the wings of Nature faile vs in so loftie a contemplation we must take to vs those of diuine grace and when the naturall light fadeth and is readie to die to require an infused and supernaturall illumination The world is greatest of all things visible and God of all things inuisible That the world is we perceiue but that God is we beleeue Now that he hath made the world we can better beleeue of no bodie then of God himselfe But where haue we heard that In his word whereto we must giue credit concerning those things whereof it is expedient that we should not be ignorant and which we of our selues are not able to vnderstand Now he hath spoken first by his prophets then by himselfe in the person of our Redeemer and lastly by the Apostles and disciples We heare him speaking aloude where Moses the father of diuines Genes 1. and master of Philosophers saith In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth The prophet was not there present but the wisedome of God by which al things were made and which by an incomprehensible vertue conueieth it selfe into holy minds and doth direct them and declare all his works without any noyse at all by his spirit which can doe all beholdeth all encourageth all and passeth through all purified spirits of vnderstanding and abideth in his elect And the blessed Angels who alwaies behold the face of their father speake to them also and announce the secrets of the eternal Maiestie to all them I say in such sort as it pleaseth the Omnipotent to make them worthie One of these was Moses who teacheth vs that God almightie made this great Vniuers A witnesse so excellent and worthy that by him we must belieue in God whom we perceiue as it were through the same wisedome and spirit which reuealed vnto him the creation of the world who prophecied almost two thousand yeeres before of the high-mysteries of Christian faith confirming also his whole doctrine by miracles prodigies oracles and prophecies wherewith all his writings abound And therefore hauing confidence in his testimonie we call God Creator of all things thereby inferring that he is author principall and first cause of all essences which cause by manner of speech ought to be full of all things if this Maxime of the Peripatetickes be true That none can giue away of that which he hath not And therefore the Poet the honor of our age very learnedly saith Ere time forme substance place to be themselues attained Du Bartas in the 1. of his weekes All God in all things was and God in all remained For there is nothing produced by nature or formed by arte but first it hath abiding in that which performeth it So euerie creature is engendred by vertue of that seede wherein it was at first by power included so each worke liueth in the minde of the workeman before he puts it in practise So had the worlde perfect being in the thought of God before it was
builded and the very Idea thereof was contained in it by which this great architect when it pleased him performed his outward worke as saint Augustine verie learnedly discourseth in a long treatise vpon this text of Scripture All things were made by the word Iohn 1. and in it was life c. And thereby we learne that God almightie the vnit from which all number proceedeth and whereto all multitude referreth it selfe did increase himselfe in himselfe before he communicated his vnitie with creatures engendring one eternitie and by an alone vnique action neuer disturbed his linage full of vnderstanding the very image of the father his worde the perfect patterne of the worlde and his loue and power the holie Ghost which allieth the vnderstanding with the thought three persons in one essence and substance Afterward this Godhead though in it selfe it was soueraigne good not hauing neede of any strange thing yet woulde he according to his owne bountie in him consisting produce the outward worke of the worlde whereinto spreading himselfe by a kinde of processe of well ordered degrees and disposing through admirable workmanship the harmonicall formes of the heauens the angels and men by him created to be made partakers of felicitie contemplating these maruailes were rauished and carried away with meditation of spirituall things and by the beautie of his workes and ornament of his creatures haue learned to acknowledge the father of this Vniuers Who moreouer performed not so great a worke in such manner as mortall men accustome to labour who cannot do any businesse themselues if they haue not stuffe and tooles fit for it nay and then cannot do it according to their desire But God created all of nothing without helpe without counsell That God made all of nothing by himselfe by his worde by the power of his holie spirit in such time and manner as he hath pleased of his owne franke and free will Therefore it is written He spake and it was done Psalm 33. Psal 135. Ierem. 31. he commanded and the worlde was created Also The Lorde hath done whatsoeuer he pleased in heauen and in earth and in all the depths And againe Oh eternall Lord behold thou hast made heauen and earth by thy great power and by thy stretched out arme nothing is impossible to thee Briefly holy writings are filled with texts to this purpose which giue vs certaine testimonie that the works of God are not subiect to any other cause then to his only omnipotent will and that thereby the worde being spoken those things which were not haue beene created as well the substance as the fashion of them and also the worde Creation doth properly import so much according to the stile of holie-writ Beholde then summarily that which we learne of the originall of the worlde we will consequently consider as neere as may be of this notable and excellent doctrine and of certaine arguments which some vse to the contrarie Wherefore AMANA if you thinke good you shall frame the subiect of your discourse vpon the time wherein this Vniuers began to be builded Of Time which tooke beginning with the World Chapter 2. AMANA THe matter which we entreate of Hierom. in prolog Galâ—â— Auâ—ust 〈…〉 vpon Genesâ—â— hath alwaies beene accounted of the Sages to be of such depth and profunditie that it was ordered amongst the ancient Hebrewes that any who had not attained to ripe age good yeeres might not meddle with the creation Of this prohibition doth S. Hierome make mention And therefore Saint Augustine vpon Genesis searching out the deepe secrets hidden vnder the vaile of simple words therein contained speaketh to the Reader in this manner Comprehend this if thou canst if not not leaue it to them which are more learned But make profite of the Scripture which abandoneth not thy weaknesse but like a mother steppeth foote by foote an easie pace with thee For it speaketh in such sort that in height it scorneth the proude in depth it astonisheth those which are attentiue to it It feedeth the great with truth and nourisheth the small ones with milde and familiar discourse And in truth in each part of Moses writings the treasures of all Philosophie are by him discouered like as if they were closely hidden in some field chiefly in this place which we haue intended to entreat of touching the creation For of deliberate purpose he argueth in Philosophie of the originall of all things of God of the degree number and order of the parts of this great world We neuerthelesse hauing confidence in this saying of the Psalmist Psal 119. That the word of God doth illuminate and giue vnderstanding to the simple and that it serueth for a light to our pathes we may be bolde to touch so loftie a point But before we proceed to consider of the precious treasures and learned doctrine wherewith the sacred sayings of the prophet touching the creation are replenished it will be good that we discourse a little of the principall arguments whereupon manie better Philosophers then good Christians haue obiected against this doctrine of framing of the world And I will willingly begin with this old question of the Epicure Why God made the world in the time that Moses declareth which the atheists of our time haue renewed to wit Why in the time that Moses recordeth it pleased the eternal God to create heauen and earth which he had not made before If they which say thus woulde thereby inferre that the worlde hath beene eternall without any beginning and for that cause it seemeth to them that God made it not they are too farre wide of the truth and sicke of the mortall disease of impietie For besides the manifold tellings and propheticall testimonies which make the creation of heauen and earth vndoubtable euen the world it selfe by his motion and well ordered changing the gorgeous shew of all things visible therein contained not speaking one word do after a sort cry out that it was made that it could be no otherwise formed then by God who is ineffablie inuisibly glorious For it is not to be supposed that a thing of most exquisite order reason should haue bin made by chance that a deed most soueraigne could haue any other father then soueraigne nor so goodly a worke anie other architect then one essentially goodly And therefore all the schooles of those Philosophers which haue had any whit of diuine sense affirme with one consent that there is nothing which more prooueth that God hath made the world and that it is gouerned by his care prouidence then the only beholding of the whole world and consideration of the beautie and order thereof But see heere what imagination not grounded on sense putteth into the mouthes of many What did God say they before he created the world why staide he till then or why staide he not a little longer In these and such like doubts they inwrap themselues making
Would they not grant me this that by a certaine order the matter was before the forme and yet preceded it not in time So is it that God was before the world by a certaine order of eternitie What they farther inferre That the instant is the end of time past and the beginning of time to come Of the point as instant We answere them that as the point is to things continued so is the instant to things succeeding Now the point is sometime the extreme of one part of a line and the beginning of another part and sometimes also it is the beginning of the whole line and not the end of any part precedent So the instant and moment wherein the world had being was the beginning of the time to ensue and not the end of any past They adde another argument against this doctrine That say they which passeth on hath something both before and after it But I le proceede farther and grant them more to wit that all that which passeth on returneth to the same point from whence it began to passe For the water returneth to the sea from whence it had an originall The bodie returneth to the earth from whence it was borrowed The soule Al things returne to God and other intellectuall things created of God I except that which the Scripture teacheth vs of the reprobate returne to himselfe of whom they were engendred And all essences produced from the diuine thought make a full circle beginning in God and finishing in God himselfe So must time returne into the same eternitie whereout it proceeded and which shall remaine this same ceasing in such sort as it consisted before it And therefore we answere those who demaund how the creator coulde precede the fabrication of the world that hee proceeded it by an eternall enduring Wherefore they conclude iust nothing against the Creation of that which then was and is after the generation of things Others which reason vpon the point which we haue deliuered concerning the opinion of Auerrois that the world is not corruptible therefore not engendred argue thus That which is dissolued into another thing is diuided but considering that beside the world there is nothing into which it can be dissolued it must therefore endure euerlastingly To which we may answere them How the world is dissolued that the world is dissolued according to his parts to the ende that it may remaine in a better estate But now we dispute not of the dissolution but onely of the originall thereof And it may seeme nothing contrarie to Christian religion that the worke of God may alwaies haue a being but farre otherwise then as we see it and which shall be then when we most blessed shall inhabite the new heauens and new earth in life euerlasting And herein doe we concurre with sundrie great Philosophers who esteeme that it is ill done to suppose that those things which immediately proceed from the blessed God can perish And therefore we affirme that the soule is immortall because it was produced and inspired by God and that the bodie it selfe shall obtaine eternitie when afterwards in the resurrection it shall be reuested with the nature of the soule which subiect we haue amply discoursed vpon in the second part of our Academie But it is ill-concluded to take away all beginning from things by reason of the perpetuall enduring of the same The opinion of diuers is that the celestiall spirits mooâ—e the spheres For as we haue declared it were to argue by naturall generations of the diuine masterpeece of worke which surpasseth all sensible consideration And sith we are in this talke of the enduring of the world we may further note that those who haue thereupon imagined to take away the originall thereof haue taught that the spirits moouing the spheres should obtaine felicitie in the eternall recourse of the heauens which point Aristotle enforceth himselfe to demonstrate in his most loftie part of Philosophie where repeating diuers considerations more loftie then in any other place he sharply contendeth for this eternitie of the world And Iohn Lescot seemeth to graunt him more then he requireth when he saith that the spirits are blessed not only moouing the spheres but for so much as by such reuolution seruing God they communicate perfection to things here beneath To which agreeth that which Plotin entreating of heauen and of the soule of the world saith It is an absurd thing and discordant to suppose that that soule which did for a time containe the heauen should not alwaies do the same as if by violence it had contained it And thereupon he coÌ„cludeth that the world should endure for euer because the principall part of the soule thereof cannot be dissolued nor the nature thereof empaire Aristotle also amongst his other considerations inserteth this That the prince of this worldly palace being eternall not receiuing any vicissitude or chaunging it is most likely that his palace should also be eternall and that his ministers or celestiall spirits being altogither addicted to perpetuall motion should neuer take rest But that we may vntie this knot we will say that it is an error of comparison to argue of that which hath his beginning immediately from God in respect of the creator and of that which is here below in regard of things aboue and of the immediate ende of euerie thing in comparison of his last ende For the immediate end of vnreasonable creatures is to liue Of the sundrie ends of all thingâ— and feede themselues but their finall ende is to serue mans vse which according to the minde of sundrie wisemen is the ende of all things here below And the immediate ende of man is to gouerne his house and family or the common-wealth to contemplate trafficke and such like businesses but his latest ende is to attaine to God or to felicitie be it as one would say through a Stoicall vertue or by a Peripateticke contemplation or by Academicke purifying or which is most certaine true through faith and grace according as our religion doth import And also wee affirme that the immediate ende of the spirits separated from God and of the corruptible matter is to gouerne the heauens and men and such other things as haue beene committed to their charge But their last ende is their onely contemplation of that first essence from which they deriue their felicitie as Aristotle himselfe testifieth in his Ethickes Suppose then that they cease to mooue from their immediate end yet shall they neuer cease to be blessed no more then man shall be lesse happie when he shall cease to gouerne the common-wealth or to performe his other temporall businesses And certainely it is maruellous that any can thinke that the Angels and celestiall spirits should obtaine their happines by moouing the heauens continually about seeing that all moouings as the Philosophers teach do tend to a resting But none can say that the spirits shall not cease
Ambrose shall remaine in the graue sentences and allegoricall sense And Saint Augustine with Basil shall mount vp in the anagogicall song to resound the supreme accents of the celestiall harmony And for the other celebrated persons who preceded these men till the time of Saint Hierome he in the booke of excellent men numbreth an hundreth thirtie seuen who were knowne by their writings To whom Gennade minister of Marseilles addeth ninetie and one who haue beene followed of many others till the time of Peter the Lombard who emulating Damascene in reducing and distinguishing into fowre volumes the Theologicall doctrine hath giuen faire matter for posteritie to dispute vpon And since then haue encreased so many others of diuers professions nations and languages consenting with an admirable concord in confession of one father author and principle without any meanes of this Vniuers that this point leaueth no doubt but constraineth euerie one to acknowledge that all of them haue beene illuminated and taught by the soueraigne doctor and supreme brightnes from which all truth and light doth issue For likewise he alone the eternall God containeth the source of veritie vnable to be emptied out of which it behooueth vs to exhaust so many and often times as we pretend to giue true instructions and agreeable to the mysteries of his omnipotencie bicause there is no knowledge of the separated substances of the secrets of nature and of God the author thereof which hath not beene diuinely reuealed For diuine things are not touched with our hands and the worldly flie from our senses euery moment From whence it commeth that that which Philosophers call wisedome and certaine science whether concerning celestiall or natural things is nothing else but error or at least a thicke obscuritie But we know so much as the pure bright and cleere vnderstanding placed in the point of mans soule doth behold by meanes of supernaturall light in the mirror of eternitie wherein we contemplate God the father and creator of this Vniuers And when the Philosophers shall confesse him such as nature teacheth religion perswadeth and reason prooueth him then may they concurre with the truth in that which they declare of the elements of the world fire aire water and earth and of the nature of things as heereafter we must discourse But first we will begin to enter into some consideration of the precious treasures and learned instructions wherewith the sacred words of Moses by vs heeretofore heard concerning the creation are fruitfully replenished namely in the space of the sixe daies which he describeth for perfection of this great humaine building as I referre to you ACHITOB to giue vs to vnderstand Of the space of the sixe daies mentioned in the historie of the creation of the world Chap. 12. ACHITOB IF we hold for certaine and vndoubted the fabrication of the vniuers as we haue in all our precedent discourse sufficiently prooued then must we confesse that it is new and made in time according as holy writ teacheth vs and all Mathematicians confirme when by the Genesis of the world they prognosticate the euents that should succeede We haue already made mention of the time since which we hold the creation thereof now must we consider the space of daies which are mentioned by Moses in recitation of this Master-peece of worke of the Almightie wherein the prophet hath concealed a mysterie of high and difficult vnderstanding For as Saint Augustine saith Lib. 2. de cluit Dei cap. 6. The sixe daies wherein God performed his works and the seuenth wherein hee ceased in what sort and manner they are is very difficult or rather impossible for vs to thinke much more to expresse For the daies which we haue now haue their euening and morning the setting and rising of the sunne and the three first daies whereof Moses speaketh passed without the sunne which was created the fourth day Heereof therefore grow profound and deepe questions and principally this Whether all things haue been created togither or in the space of diuers daies In the same book chap. 9. It seemeth that Saint Augustine made no doubt that all was not created in a moment seeing he saith speaking of the creation of the Angels made the first day that the second day nor the third nor all the rest were any other then the first day but that the same one was repeated to make vp the number of six or seuen for the works of God and his repose In the same book chap. 31. In another place he speaketh thus In the seuenth day that is the same day repeated seuen times There haue been also diuers ancient doctors that haue taught the like satisfying themselues with this text of the Wiseman saying He that liueth for euer Eccles 18. Whether all things were created togither or in diuers daâ—es made all things togither They also shewed these reasons All power finite and limited hath neede of time to worke in but not the infinite as that of the soueraigne creator and forasmuch as by an intelligible and eternall word which Saint Basil interpreteth the moment of the will of God all things had their beginning there is no reason why there should be any delay for the creation of the light after the darknes which was vpon the deepe as the prophet declareth and whereof the euening and morning of the first day were made or else of the heauen till the second day Genes 1. the budding foorth of the earth till the third the production of the sunne moone and stars till the fourth the gathering togither of the waters till the fift and to the sixt the forming of man For these reasons I say many great personages would conclude that heauen and earth and all things therein contained were created at one instant charging those which thought otherwise to doe great wrong to the Almightie and soueraigne creator to whom all things are of eternitie presented to suppose that he should operate by tract of time and succession of daies he I say to whom eternity is both the measure and possession togither They alledge also that the prophet repeating the creation which he seemed to haue distinguished by daies said thus in the second of Genesis These are the generations of the heauens and of the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the heauens and the earth and euery plant of the field before it was in the earth and euery herbe of the field before it grew Whereby they say doth euidently appeere that al things were created togither And for that the principall members of this mundane bodie are said to haue been ordained and engendred separately that that must be vnderstood to haue been so expounded according to the order through which man for whom all things haue beene made is very properly induced as the last worke of God according to the common saying of the Peripateticks How the distinction of Gods works must be
vnderstood That that which is the first in intention is the last in execution but the meanes betweene keeping a like order doe succeed from the first till the last By such reason therefore the diuision of daies mentioned in Genesis must be referred not to the time but to the order which is to be considered in the producement of things created Thus much for their opinions But others contend to the contrarie and maintaine that God hath distinguished the creation of the world by certaine degrees and course of daies according as Moses describeth them to keepe vs the more attentiue and to constraine vs to abide in the consideration of his works For it is most certaine that we passe lightly ouer the infinite glorie of God which shineth vnto vs here below and the vanitie of our vnderstanding doth willingly carrie vs away To correct which vice his diuine bountie would temper his works to our capacity And they which hold this opinion haue noted how the text before cited out of Ecclesiasticus wherein this word togither is read is not properly so in the Greeke copie but the Greeke word signifieth likewise or in common and hath relation not to the time but to the vniuersalnes and communitie of creatures Now to reconcile these diuers opinions me thinketh we may say that for the matter and rich seede of all the beauties and richesses of the vniuers it hath been created of God all in one moment but that afterward he gaue forme to it taking out of them the works which he did in the sixe daies For thus the prophet speaketh Genes 1. v. 1.2 God in the beginning created the heauen and the earth And the earth was without forme and void and darknes was vpon the deepe and the spirit of God moued vpon the waters Behold then the matter of this All which had his being all at once the chaos the embryon created of nothing which was to take forme figure place and abiding according to the order and disposition of all his partes and which in the meane while was sustained by the secret power of God Afterward when Moses addeth Then God said Let there be light Vers 3.4.5 and there was light And God saw the light that it was good and God separated the light from the darkenes and God called the light day and the darkenes he called night So the euening the morning were the first day In this I say and in all the rest which ensueth concerning the workes of God in the fiue other daies is shewed vnto vs the forme that God gaue to the matter in the space of them creating and forming all creatures celestiall and terrestrial contained in the whole Vniuers See then how we may resolue this question whether all things were created togither or in diuers daies and thus we may reconcile their sundrie opinions Let vs farther note S. August de ciuit Dei lib. 11. ca. 7. how Saint Augustine accustomed to mount as we haue said with the wings of contemplation vnto the Anagogicall sense discoursing vpon this point concerning the light which was said to haue beene created the first day with euening and mormng three daies before the sun confesseth freely that it is farre-remote from our sense what light this is and by what alternate motion the euening and morning were made and he vseth this disiunctiue question whether it were some corporall light that is some lightsome bodie in the highest parts of the world farre from our sight or else a light without bodie in some place whereat the sunne was shortly after kindled or else by the name of light Gal. 4. was signified the holy citie of Angels and blessed spirits whereof the Apostle saith Hierusalem which is aboue is the eternall mother of vs all in the heauens Therefore in another place also this great doctor of the church referreth the euening and morning to the science and knowledge of angelical thoughts calling it morning when by the view of things created knowne in themselues where there is darkenes and most deepe night these blessed spirits aduaunce themselues in the loue of God And if louing and contemplating him they acknowledge all things in him which knowledge is much more certaine then if one should view them indirectly then is it day But it is euening when the angell turneth himselfe from God to things created regarding them not in him but in themselues And yet this euening commeth not to night because these angelicall thoughts neuer preferre the workes before the workman neither haue them in greater estimation for so should it bee most profound night Behold then how deepely Saint Augustine doth discourse in this place concerning the euening and morning But for the place before-cited concerning the point of the light he referreth the same termes euening and morning to the condition of our soule For he saith that that which it can know and vnderstand in comparison of the knowledge of God is like an euening and that yet when it is bent to praise and loue the creator then doth it returne to morning And for the distinct daies concerning the workes of God he applyeth them likewise to the orderly and perfect knowledge of things produced The distinction of the daies inferred to the acknowledgement of the workes of God saying thus When the minde stayeth in the knowledge of it selfe then is there one day when in the acknowledgement of the firmament which betwixt the water beneath and aboue is called the heauen then is the second day if concerning the earth the sea and all things fructifying which keepe themselues in the rootes of the earth there is the third day and when it stayeth in the acknowledgement of the lights both the greater and lesser and of the stars there is the fourth day if of the creatures which liue in the waters there is the fift day if of terrene things and man himselfe there is the sixt day And thus doth this good father trauell to discouer the great mysteries closed concealed vnder the couert of Moses words which in the relation of his historie hee doth most vndoubtedly apply to the capacitie of the rude and common people with whom he had to deale deliuering to the wise and more learned enough wherewith to satisfie their mindes But without farther disputing about this present matter wee may note that in the creation of the light wherewith the world was to be adorned was the beginning of forme giuen to the matter of the world and of the distinction of creatures Yea in that the light did precede the sun moone which were created but the fourth day God would thereby testifie that in his onely hand light is resident and that he can conferre it vpon vs without any other meanes For we are so enclined as nothing more to alligate the power of God to those instruments and organes wherewith he serueth himselfe because that for as much as the sun moone do minister light vnto
first thought whereof it produced the second intelligence and knowing it selfe it ingendred the soule or moouer of the first sphere and this moouer knowing also his worke it proceeded to produce another so successiuely the cause being varied in substance and operation diuers effects were produced Which obscure opinioÌ„ might haue some colour if the first and almightie creator were restrained to produce but one effect onely too absurd a thing to be imagined in the father and author of the vniuers seeing that not a particular but an vniuersall effect is answerable vnto him to wit the world onely and the entire estate of all things as wee haue heeretofore sufficiently declared And so it followeth that this vniuers like a body entire in it selfe and diuers in the members thereof was engendred by one onely father and creator and liues by one onely vniuersall life But we will combate against these Philosophers with more strong weapons maintaining against them according to the truth How God came to his worke that the soueraigne maker came to his worke without being tied by any naturall law but free and franke in euery worke as he pleaseth being abundantly full of all vertue and of all manner of bountie and essentiall good will proceeded to his outward worke as these things haue beene declared vnto vs in our precedent discourse But this by the way albeit the maxime of the Peripateticks be though false that the first cause worketh of necessitie and that it is alwaies of one sort which is most true yet doth it not therefore follow that it should produce but one effect seeing that of the sunne which is euer the same and of the earth which being stable changeth not are produced diuers effects without any varietie comming to their nature yea and without any tilling of the ground For herbes flowers and rootes of diuers kindes do grow therein and many other essences are therein produced by power of the sunne But if these Philosophers tell me that diuers effects appeere in these things because that other particular causes doe worke therein togither they haue left the proofe of this point to their children to wit whether this varietie proceedeth from diuers causes or else from the same sunne fruitfull and full of vertue to engender diuers things Then with how much greater reason may the first true and eternall sonne do it being abundantly full of all fruitfulnes light and life How all things are in God For all things were and are in him not as if they were seated in any locall place but are lodged in his thought from whence producing them he is called their father and creator He onely free from the lawes of nature without any matter presupposed produceth all things yea and the matter it selfe altogither full of fertilitie But the second or naturall cause as Philosophers speake requireth the subiect and matter created by God wherewith it worketh And here doth that take place which the Prince of Peripatetickes saith That in common acceptation of the soule it is conuenient that it be made of nothing and therefore also our Diuines affirme that the angels can create no nature at all and that they are creators of things no more then Gardiners of fruits And therefore all those who haue receiued the light of the truth confesse God alone to be father and author of all things contayned in heauen and in earth whether spirituall or corporall visible or inuisible natures And let vs neuer thinke that in so great consonancie of the Vniuers there are many creators nor that there is any more then one onely king and prince nor many things that consist of themselues For so should there be confusion and discordancie in this great world and so consequently easie dissolution Thus much haue we thought conuenient to be knowne concerning the Intellectuall world wherein hauing spoken of the blessed estate of those angels which are not fallen from God my minde is that we say somewhat concerning those who are fallen from their first estate which we call commonly Diuels or euill spirits We will heare you then ACHITOB discourse of them Of diuels and euill spirits Chap. 16. ACHITOB IF we here discourse somewhat by numbers we shall make more easie way to that which we would vnderstand concerning the diuels yea concerning euery creature I say then euery number after the vnitie attaineth to be a perfect and accomplished number within it selfe Now the vnitie alone totally simple doth not passe from it selfe but therein remaineth in indiuisible and solitarie simplicitie bicause it is most fully content with it selfe not hauing neede of any thing being full of his owne riches But euery number being by nature a multitude doth by the benefit of the vnitie become simple bicause it is capable of simplicitie And although euery number the more it departeth from the vnitie the more it falleth into a great multitude hauing in it selfe more disagreeablenesse more parts and composition yet is there no number how neere soeuer to the vnitie being a multitude and made of vnities that is one by nature An excellent theologicall consideration by numbers but by composition Now if we referre this to diuine matters after the manner of Pythagoras and Plato we shall say thus God alone who proceedeth not from any thing and from whom all things proceede is an entire most simple and indiuisible essence and which deriueth all that he possesseth from himselfe and by what reason he subsisteth by the same reason he is wise he is willing he is good and he is iust And we cannot imagine any essence whereof he may consist but the same being which he is But all other things are not the same essence but are through him and therefore an angell is not this vnitie for so should he be God or else there should be sundry Gods which may not be imagined For what should be one but the vnitie alone It resteth then that the angell must be a number which being so on the other side it is one in multitude as euery number commeth of the vnitie by composition and euery number is imperfect bicause it is a multitude that which is perfect being entirely one So then the angell being a number that is a creature he is not the same being it selfe but he is onely an essence to whom the being arriueth by communication to the end that he may subsist Neither is he vnderstanding it selfe but so he vnderstandeth as being by a spirituall nature capable of vnderstanding Those things that betoken imperfection are incident to the angell as he is a multitude or creature But all that which is perfect and of accomplished forme in him is by reason of the vnitie whereof it is composed and which he receiueth bicause that he is conioined with God who is the simple vnitie from whom all being all life and all perfection is deriued to the creature And therefore the philosophers as also the wise Hebrues â—ll the angels separated
propertie of things correspondent with their said effects Of the names of the twelue signes and the causes thereof The first signe is nominated Aries bicause that the Sunne then beginneth to approch to the highest point and the heate thereof doth increase which mixing with the humiditie that the precedent winter had brought in maketh the temperature of the aire hot and moist which agreeth with the nature of a ram The second signe is called Taurus bicause that when the sunne is therein the heate fortifieth it selfe and consumeth the moisture so that the temperature of the aire tendeth somewhat to drinesse which seemeth very answerable to the nature of the bull which is of greater power then that of sheepe The third signe is named Gemini bicause the Sunne being therein hath his heat redoubled and amongst all kindes of beastes the males and females haue naturall copulation two and two togither to ingender one like themselues and to continue their kinde The fourth signe is said to be Cancer for euen as the crab goeth backward so the sunne entring into this signe retireth backe towardes the Equinoctiall from whence he came making his declinations contrarie to those of Gemini The fift signe is called Leo bicause the sunne being therein by the redoubling of his beames the heate is strong and drinesse great euen as the lion is a puissant beast of hot and drie nature The sixt signe is named Virgo for as the virgine is a weake creature and of her selfe barren so the sunne being in this signe the heate diminisheth and drinesse ruleth whereby the production of things ceaseth and the earth becommeth barren The seuenth signe hath to name Libra bicause the disposition of the aire is then in ballance betweene the wasted heate and new-begun coldnes and bicause also the sunne being in this signe the daies and nights are in ballance betweene the decreasing of the one and increasing of the other The eight is called Scorpio bicause that then the colde ruling with drinesse are great enimies to nature and doe corrupt the aire which hath the proper qualitie of hot and moist whereupon ensue plagues and other dangerous diseases which surprise the creature like the venome of a scorpion which lies in his taile and is engendred of corruption The ninth signe is named Sagittarius for the sunne being in it the too much weakened heate is surmounted by cold whereupon there ensue fogs and frosts and other alterations of the aire as hurtfull to creatures as enuenomed arrowes The tenth signe is nominated Capricornus bicause that the sunne entring thereinto is the farthest that all the yeere it can be from the verticall point so that by rigour of the colde mixed with drinesse which hath then full domination as also by reason of the debilitie of heate the disposition of the aire is melancholie retaining the nature of a goate The eleuenth signe is signified by Aquarius bicause then the drinesse is surmounted by the moisture now beginning the cold neuerthelesse remaining wherefore the aire is cold and moist like water and disposed to snowes and raine The twelfth and last signe is Pisces bicause as fishes are colde and moist following naturally the water hauing yet some little naturall heate euen so is the temperature of the aire then cold and moist hauing yet some heate growing by the approch of the sunne to the vernall Equinoctiall point so that the cold diminisheth And thus much concerning the signes of the Zodiacke and the names to them ascribed for which cause the fixed starres which are in this circle and comprised within the said signes both of the one side and on the other haue been painted according to the fashion of the saide beasts and their influence iudged from the causes by vs here declared and not that the said signes haue taken their names of the nature and disposition of the said starres And by this consideration of the propertie of each signe in the Zodiacke we learne that by the introduction of one qualitie ensueth the expulsion of the contrarie and by the augmentation of the one the decrease of the other Which must onely be vnderstood concerning the qualities happening in the aire by the radiation of the sunne onely being strong meane and weake and the disposition of inferiour things without comprising therein the other constellations and aspects of the planets changing greatly altering the said disposition of the aire neither doe we touch the opinions of professors of iudiciall Astrologie who for other reasons and principles of the said arte attribute to the same signes other qualities then those that we haue expressed But from them wee may extract fower triplicities which make the twelue signes correspond with the fower elements to wit Gemini Cancer Leo with the fire Pisces Aries and Taurus with the aire Sagittarius Capricornus Aquarius with water and Virgo Libra and Scorpio with earth Now must we pursue our purpose concerning the circles of the sphere as well great as small mooueable as immooueable the treatise whereof ACHITOB I referre to you Of the two great circles named Colures and of the fower lesse circles and parallels of the fiue Zones of the world and immooueable circles Chap. 20. ACHITOB. BEsides the two principall mooueable circles which haue beene declared vnto vs in the precedent speech there are also demonstrated in the sphere two other great circles whereof one passeth by the Equinoctiall points and the other by the Solstists or sunsteads and poles of the Zodiacke and both by the poles of the world where they are diuided into three angles And by this meanes they part as well the Equinoctiall as the Zodiacke into fower parts the parts whereof answere togither in iust and equall proportion Of two circles called Colures These two circles haue to name Colures that is to say vnperfect because they haue an vnperfect reuolution in turning with the sphere vpon the points of their circumference and not about their proper poles like other circles One of them then is called the Equinoctiall colure and the other the Solstitial colure And the one passeth by the circle of the Zodiacke at the beginning of the signes Aries Libra which are the Equinoctiall signes and the other at the beginning of the signes Cancer and Capricorne which are the Solstitiall signes And it is to be noted that the arck of the Solstitiall Colure comprised betweene the Equinoctiall and one of the Solstists is the measure of the greatest declination of the Sunne which must of necessitie be equall to the arck of that Colure which is betweene one of the poles of the world and the next pole of the Zodiacke For by how much one greater circle declineth from another by so much the poles of the one are distant from the poles of the other because all greater circles are equall and haue one common center and do equally part themselues and likewise their declination is iust in the midst of their cuttings or intersections We must
also consider in the sphere fower principall lesser and mooueable circles whereof the two first doe limit out the whole obliquenes of the Zodiacke and the declination thereof from the Equinoctiall as also the conuersions of the Sunne towards it And these circles are nominated Tropickes Of the two tropick◠that is turning or conuertiue because they passe by the two Solstists of the Zodiacke That then which passeth by the first point of Cancer which is the Sommer-Solstice is called the Tropicke of Cancer or sommer-Tropick and that which passeth by the first point of Capricorne or winter-solstice is named the winter-Tropicke or Tropicke of Capricorne being therefore one equall to another because they are equally distant from the Equinoctiall For the two other lesser circles Of the two polary circles they are those which be described about the poles of the world by the poles of the zodiack limiting the deuiation or distance of the said poles and for this cause they are called polarie-circles and do retaine the names of the Poles of the world For one is named the North or Arcticke-circle and the other the South or Antarcticke-circle being also equall one to another by the same reason as is vnderstood of the Tropicks And you must note that these said fower lesser circles do diuide the whole sphere into fiue parts or principall regions commonly called Zones whereto as many parts or diuers regions answere vpon the terrestriall globe Of the fiue zones of the world which Zones are different as well in figure and greatnes as also in nature or accidental disposition caused chiefly by the radiation of the sunne The first then of these fiue parts or regions of the sphere is comprehended betweene the two Tropicks diuided by the Equinoctial in the midst for which cause it is the most ample of all the rest The two extremest and smallest are comprised about the poles of the world within the Arcticke and Antarticke circles wherefore the one is called the North and the other the South Zone And the other two are meanes betweene the greatest which is middlemost and the two extremest or least which are about the poles of the world being larger towards the two Tropickes then towards the polary circles which togither are the boūds of them And among these fiue Zones which enuiron the earth some parts of them are become habitable Of the causes which make some parts of the earth habitable and others not and others not by meanes of the diuers effects caused by the sunne For the meane region about the equinoctial is for three causes temperate First because the sun being vnder or about the said Equinoctiall it maketh a greater circuit in the Vniuersall motion of the whole world and runs faster away for which cause his heat maketh not so great impression vpon the earth Secondly because it passeth suddenly from the South to the North part by reason of the transuers disposition of the Zodiacke about the Equinoctiall And thirdly because the daies are there equall with the nights whereby the heate of the one is tempered by the coldnes of the other But about the Tropicks the heat is excessiue in Sommer First because the sunne is then in those stations wherein his shining endureth longer vpon the earth and by reason also that he performeth lesse compasse and passeth slowly away whereby his heat taketh more deepe impression And besides all this the daies are longer then the nights in such sort that the heat of the one surmounteth the cold of the other For the two polarie regions and the circumiacent parts it is manifest that they are far out of the funs way whereof ensueth that by the too much oblique radiation thereof heat is there exceeding feeble and cold great and intollerable Finally in the midst or about the two other foresaide regions betweene the Equinoctiall and poles of the world the disposition of the aire is temperate as well by reason of the commixture of the heate which is about the Tropicks and the cold which is about the polarie circles as bicause of the meane radiation of the sunne that is to say neither too direct nor too oblique So then the middle Zone comprised betweene the two Tropicks is temperate about the midst intemperate through excessiue heate about the extremities thereof whereupon it is in this part called the Torrid-zone bicause the sun doth alwaies turne about it And the two polarie and extreme regions are perpetually intemperate through colde And the two meanes are temperate about the midst and in one extreme thereof intemperate with heate and in the other with cold But thereof followes not that all intemperate places should be inhabitable but onely very hard and difficult to dwell in Hitherto hath our talke been concerning the principall and mooueable circles of the sphere Of immooueable circles and first of the Horizon now let vs intreate of the immooueable Euen then as the Zodiack Equinoctiall are the two chiefest amongst the mooueable circles so are the Horizon and Meridian amongst the immooueable By the Horizon is meant a great circle imagined in heauen which diuideth that halfe of heauen which is seene from that halfe which is not seene that is which parteth the Hemisphere vnder vs from that which is aboue vs. And to this same circle one of the poles is alwaies the verticall point and the other pole is the point opposite Wherefore by how much each place hath his point higher by so much doth the Horizon of each place differ for there are so many Horizons as there be particular places And therfore the Horizon of those which haue the verticall point that is the point which is right ouer head vnder the Equinoctiall is named the right Horizon bicause it must needes passe by the poles of the world and diuideth the Equinoctiall at right angles one equall to another Whereupon it is also called a right sphere bicause it seemeth to bee rightly placed in respect of that Horizon and the starres to make their motion directly by the vniuersall motion of the sphere But the Horizon of those whose zenith is out of the Equinoctiall towards the one or other pole of the world is called oblique bicause that one of the poles to wit that which the verticall point is next to is eleuated aboue the said Horizon and the other pole is so much depressed vnder the same which for this occasion doth diuide the Equinoctiall at oblique angles vnequal one to another Wherefore also the sphere is said to be oblique bicause it is obliquely placed in respect of the said Horizon and the starres turne obliquely in the vniuersall motion And therefore it is euident that all direct Horizons are of one selfesame disposition but amongst the oblique there are as many differences of obliquitie as are distances betweene the verticall point and the Equinoctiall or as the eleuation of the pole is diuers aboue them For the Meridian it is a great circle
subiect to change and the rest are immutable incorruptible persisting alwaies in their estate during the course of this world Stones mettals minerals and such like creatures are of the number of those that haue neither life nor any naturall moouing whatsoeuer but like the earth it selfe The water aire winde and fire are creatures which though they haue not life yet haue they moouing but they are subiect vnto corruption as are all other creatures composed of the elements whether they retaine life or not For by reason that they are compounded of matters and contrarie qualities they doe at length corrupt and are changed not in regarde of their first nature and substance which perisheth not Nothing perisheth in regard of the matter though it change formes but returneth alwaies into the same elements whereof euerie compound consisteth And though stones and mettals be exceeding hard yet are they not exempt from corruption but are consumed by vsage yea euen gold and siluer which are the most precious mettals and of so excellent temper that they resist fire But the celestiall bodies whereof we entreat now consist of such matter nature and substance that being in perpetuall motion they euer perseuere in their entire and first forme not being subiect to any change in their bodies nor any way consuming like to the other creatures winch are vnder them Of the matter or substance of heauen But what this matter or substance is hath beene much disputed on amongst the most learned For some Philosophers haue affirmed that the heauens starres and planets which we behold are compounded of the same elements whereof all other creatures are made but yet of the most pure parts and portions of them And render this reason viz. that they could not be visible if they were not created of visible matter For none can make a visible thing of an inuisible Whereupon they conclude that there is in the composition of celestiall bodies some portion of earth and water which are visible elements and more water then earth because it is more pure and cleere then the earth is and because it hath motion And in that they are most splendant cleere and mooueable they attribute the principall cause thereof to the nature of the aire and fire and the most subtile parts of them whereof say they they are singularly composed But others hold that the heauens consist of another kinde of substance then of the elements which they name a fift-essence of most rare and different substance from the elementarie and much more excellent and noble Others more cunning finde in the heauens diuers and vnequal substances Whereto may seeme to accord that which Americus Vespucius hath declared in the discourse of his third Nauigation to the Indies concerning the magnitude of the stars making mention of three verie great ones called Caponi which are not cleere And many other authors haue noted diuersitie of shining and cleerenes among the stars and that some part of heauen is thicker then the rest But whatsoeuer may be subtilly inuented in this matter it seemeth verie well that heat is the substance of celestiall bodies which is inseparable from brightnes Of heat light and brightnes which is a similitude and semblance of light hauing the substance of it and of heat so annexed with it selfe that it is almost nothing else So that the light brightnes heat may be taken for one selfe same substance and matter of heauen and of all the spheres Which we must moreouer note to be so established and ordained by God that the Sunne Moone and all the other stars and planets are no whit chaunged since the day of their creation any more then their said spheres neither are they more wearied worne Of the continuance and changing of the heauens or corrupted for all the labour which they haue performed by the space of so many yeeres then they were the first day of their creation For you must not holde it for a chaunge and alteration of their natures and qualities in that according to their diuers courses the stars and planets are sometimes far from and sometimes neere to one another and that they haue oppositions coniunctions and diuers and different respects according to the varietie of their motions nor yet for the eclipses of the Sunne and Moone For such changes are not in their proper bodies substance and qualitie but onely in regard of vs and our sight But to this constancie stablenes and continuance of the heauens and the celestiall bodies the words of the kingly Prophet in the Psalmes may seeme to be repugnant Psal 102. when he saith Thou O God hast aforetime layd the foundation of the earth and the heauens are the worke of thine hands They shall perish but thou shalt endure euen they all shall waxe olde as doth a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy yeeres shall not faile Also it is written Math. 24. 2. Pet. 3. that the heauens and earth shall passe That the day of the Lord shall come like a Thiefe in the night and in which the heauens must passe away like a noise of a tempest the elements must melt with heat and the earth with all the workes that are therein shall bee burnt That the heauens being set one fire shall be dissolued Esay 65. 66. Apoc. 21. and that we looke for new heauens and new earth according to the promise of God in whom dwelleth righteousnes All these testimonies yet do not contradict that which we heretofore said concerning the nature of the celestiall bodies For we refer their stabilitie and continuance to the course of all this great world which God hath ordained and established to endure till the consummation and ending thereof in such sort as he hath declared to vs in his word Moreouer it is one thing to speake of the heauens comparing their nature with that of other visible and corporall creatures and another thing when we compare them with the nature of God or of his word as the holy Scripture cōmonly doth Psal 90. For according to the doctrine thereof a thousand yeers are as one day before God wherfore also this visible frame both celestiall terrestrial is nothing else but as a vesture which weareth waxeth old is clean done after that it is worne al out And sith that both heauen and earth are created by the word of God Iohn 1. there is no doubt but they shall faile rather then it For it remayneth for euer like God from whom it proceedeth from all eternitie There is yet diuersitie of opinions amongst the ancient doctors about the vnderstanding of the holy Scripture concerning the matter which we do now treat of For some indeed say that the heauens shall perish with the rest of the world if it so please the creator and if he will haue it so considering that all creatures both visible and inuisible
and variable motion so that she causeth to be correspondent to man as to the end and image of the whole Vniuers all the loftie members of it All these properties I say are attributed by sundry Astronomers to the planets in regard of the good which they cause to men Againe others acknowledge some of them to be the cause of many euils and those they call ill planets not celestiall For they say that Saturne is foolish niggardly difficult Euilnes of Saturne inducing to dangers fraud mischiefe treasons violence captiuitie banishment losse periurie contumacie wrath hatred of all good feare anguish griefe burials sorrow and losse of children also that he causeth sorceries empoisonings theft maketh Magicians Of Mars they say that he prouoketh to treason warre Of Mars murder boldnes rashnes pride sedition contention rapine ambushments woundings flights disloialties villanies foolish loue easie offending many cogitations ill counsell and that he maketh princes violent cruell inhumane desirous of bloud and slaughter periured deceitfull inconstant cursing and full of all wickednes and that he foresheweth a mishapen and impudent man and that he is pernicious to birthes causing abortiue fruit Finally that in all parts of heauen he menaceth some mischiefe For the rest I passe them heere in silence that I may not bee too tedious in this matter which some Mathematicians and Poets ascribe to other planets making them cause of many other euils according to the diuers constellations where they doe contemplate them But to speake my minde we like Christians must beleeue and not thinke as many naturalists doe who in stead of acknowledging a God do forge to themselues an Idoll of Nature that it should be the planets or starres who like fountaines or Ladies of vertues properties and powers giue influence to men of the foresaide qualities but onely that in disposing their bodies being compounded of the elements vpon which the planets worke they serue to aide them to abound in vertues or vices according as their minde beeing moderatrix of all their actions doth dispose hir faculties to intend good or euill For this cause we say that to those which want the gifts and graces of Gods spirit all things cannot but succeed badly and the influences of the spheres hurt them rather then otherwise yea some more then other some as to the contrarie the minde of the faithful well instructed doth correct the naughtines of the stars deliuereth himselfe from all peruerse inclination This is it that the thrise great Philosopher Mercurius saith entreating of those whom the diuine power whatsoeuer it was had forsaken leauing and abandoning them to the euill as hee speaketh and all that which was sensible in them For thus saith he Of such the forces of anger appetite which being wel directed would cause euery good worke turne into a nature depriued of reason So then we learne that very vaine is the faith that is giuen to the planets to constellations and to foolish diuinations and superstitious prognostications of Astrologians For true Christians feare not the signes of heauen nor their aspects and regards but do wholly depend vpon the grace of God and of his prouidence which turneth all to the good of his elect Against iudiciall astrologie And therefore though wee condemne not true Astrologie namely Astronomie yet must we not approoue the superstition and curiositie which is in many concerning that part of this science called Iudiciall which they holde for a certaine and infallible doctrine by which may be foreseene and knowne the euents of men But let vs rather hold with that which Ieremie teacheth vs Ierem. 10. saying Feare not the signes of heauen according to the gentiles for the customes of the people are vaine Which is as much as if he had said that such curious obseruations full of superstitions are friuolous and false belonging to pagans and idolaters and not to the people of God For this cause also we haue in the bookes of the other prophets many things spoken against the predictions and prognostications of the Chaldees and Babylonians Esay 47. namely in Isay For God which is aboue all nature hath meanes which men cannot perfectly know either by reason of their ignorance or for that those meanes are supernaturall So that it happeneth that things oftentimes succeede cleane contrarie to that which the Astronomers haue forespoken prognosticated Against the casters of natiuities according to their contemplation But I woulde willingly aske them what foundation they can haue when like prophets they enterprise to foretell men good lucks and ill lucks and all euents which they must expect and chiefly to kings princes and other chiefe personages For where doe they finde when God created the stars and planets that he gaue them commission to reueale to Astrologers what should be the nature and complexion of euery one according to the planet vnder which they should be borne And againe how can such iudiciall science haue certaintie seeing there are a thousand men that are borne euery day in the world in one selfesame countrie at one selfesame time hower and instant one sometimes to be a king and another a poore shepherd being neither like in nature nor like in manners but sometimes more contrarie then fire and water For this is much prooued in many twinnes as the scripture giueth vs a notable example in Iacob and Esau For they were borne so close to one another Genes 25. that Iacob helde with his hand the sole of his brother Esaus foote and therefore the name of Iacob was giuen him And by how much the one was humble good and peaceable by so much the other was proud wicked and warlike And who can beleeue that God hath set marks in any of the signes of heauen to signifie to men that which he hath ordained concerning euery one in his eternall counsell which is hidden from the angels themselues Surely whatsoeuer we can learne is through his holy spirit which he communicateth to such as he pleaseth reuealing to them his secrets as heretofore he did to his most faithfull seruants And therefore he that would haue most certaine prognostications must not goe away to seeke and aske them of other more true Astrologians then the prophets and apostles with their writings For they haue surely foretold all that must come to passe in the world to the very consummation of time and chiefly touching the monarchies empires and kingdoms of the earth namely Daniel And I belieue that God hath not created the stars planets more for kings princes other great personages thē for the simple least Too sound true a prognosticatiō haue we against them all in Isay Isay 60. by which he prophesieth that euery kingdome euery nation which serueth not the Lord shall perish So likewise all the blessings and cursings of the lawe Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. are so many most certaine prophesies of all that which good and bad
by reason the minde may alwaies moderate and correct And taking occasion vpon this matter let vs come to the true Astronomie and Astrologie of Christians which is to contemplate the glorie and greatnes of God by the worke of the heauens as ACHITOB finishing this daies worke you may relate to vs. Of the true Astronomie which the heauens teach vs and especially the sunne in his admirable effects Chap. 32. ACHBTOB IT is not without cause that the prophet saith The heauens declare the glorie of God Psal 19. and the earth sheweth the worke of his hands For thereby he euidently teacheth that the worke of the spheres and their well ordred motion doe demonstrate as with the finger euen to our eies the great and admirable prouidence of God their creator euen as if the heauens should speake to euery one In an other place it is written Eccle. 43. This high ornament this cleere firmament the beautie of the heauen so glorious to behold is a thing full of hough then that the heauens haue neither voice nor speech like men yet when the workmanship of them and the goodly images pourtraied and placed in them do present themselues vnto vs it is as much as if God spake to vs. For sight belongeth to the eies as hearing doth to the eares and that which offereth it selfe to those The heauens are visible words which preach vnto vs God is as the sound is to these Wherefore in very deede we may call not onely the heauens sunne moone and starres but all other creatures also visible words which speake to the eies as those which are in sound and voice doe speake to the eares If likewise we can very well vnderstand dumbe folkes by the signes which they make vs say that they speake by signes why then should we not harken to the language of God speaking by the heauens and by the signes which he hath placed in them For may we not truly say that they speake vnto vs by signes And if we call bookes dumbe teachers bicause they teach by the meanes of writing which they lay before our eies what fairer booke may wee see written in a fairer letter and of more neate impression and printed with goodlier characters then this great booke of the whole vniuers and chiefly of the heauens Againe if it be needefull for vs to seeke out images to represent God that so he might become visible to vs where may we finde them fairer and more liuely and which speake vnto vs a language most easie to be vnderstood if we be not altogether deafe Wherefore it is not without good cause that when God willing to make his greatnes his magnificence and prouidence known to his people saith by Esay Lift vp your eies on high Isay 40. be hold who hath created these things which is he that bringeth out their armies by number and calleth them all by their names By the greatnes of his power and mighty strength nothing faileth This is it in all these considerations that Dauid in the place before alledged after he hath acknowledged that there is no language nor speech where the voice of the heauens is not heard doth further adde that their line is gone foorth through all the earth and their words vnto the ends of the world meaning by this line the magnificent frame and excellent workmanship of them For all is so well made and composed therein by the workmaster that it seemeth to haue been all drawne out by line rule and compasse And when he speaketh of their words he vnderstandeth the marke and impression which is in them by which they preach vnto vs in stead of words And for this cause also he saith before that one day vttereth speech vnto another day and one night teacheth knowledge vnto another night which is as much as if he should say that one day teacheth and preacheth another and the night doth the same bicause that from day to day and from night to night God manifesteth his power and glorie And let vs note Of the excellency of the sunne and true testimonie of the prouidence of God that the prophet proposing vnto vs the heauens thus in generall as true preachers of his diuine prouidence maketh principall and expresse mention of the Sunne bicause it is the most goodly creature the most agreeable most profitable and necessarie for men and for all the rest of the works of God For this cause also euery one giueth more heed vnto it then to all the other celestiall bodies For it is by the course and meanes of the Sunne that we haue ordinarily daies and nights and that they be sometimes longer sometimes shorter and another time equall as hath been already told vs and also that we haue the distinction of yeeres and of the diuers seasons of them as of the spring time summer autumne and winter and of the time fit to sowe plant till the earth and to gather the fruites thereof and generally to performe all other workes necessarie for the life of man And then may very well bee considered the course and compasse of this goodly light which is from the one end of heauen to the other end and how there is nothing that is hid from the heate thereof Shall we let passe in silence the gallant course which euery day it maketh compassing the whole world in the space of fower and twenty howers without being any whit wearie For from the hower that God hath created it it hath neuer desisted from worke day nor night and hath neuer failed one iot neither shal cease so long as the world shal endure And therefore it is also said in Ecclesiasticus The sunne also a maruellous instrument Eccles 43. when it appeereth declareth at his going out the worke of the most high And presently after Great is the Lord that made it by whose commandement it doth runne hastily Then speaking in generall of all the planets and starres It is a campe saith he pitched on high shining in the firmament of heauen the beautie of the heauens are the glorious starres and the ornament that shineth in the high places of the Lord. By the commandement of the holy one they continue in their order and faile not in their watch And who is it except the blinde that beholdeth not this goodly sunne to passe out of his pauilion like a magnificent king that marcheth foorth of his palace Who seeth not the faire countenance that he sheweth to all being as the eie and mirrour of the whole world Who vieweth not his trim locks and the golden haires and yellow beard of his raies by which he spreadeth his light and heate vpon all creatures In such sort that as none can auoide his heate so none can flie from his light For as it is written By the word of the Lord are his works Eccles 42. Eccles 43. The sunne that shineth looketh vpon all things and all the works thereof are full of the
he returneth to the other without any ceasing rest or fainting Wherein we must especially acknowledge gods woonderfull prouidence who hath created him neither greater nor lesse then is necessary to performe the office which hath beene committed to him And for his greatnes we may truely iudge that it is immense and admirable because that in what place soeuer men may be whether in the east or in the west or in the north or in the south parts yet do they all behold it of one selfesame greatnes And therefore doth the prophet say They which dwell in the vttermost parts of the earth Psal 65. are afraid of thy signes and thou makest them ioyfull with the going foorth of the euening and the morning that is with the rising and setting of the sunne and other planets and starres Wherein we must note that though we commonly say of the sunne that he riseth and setteth as if we spake of a man that went to take his rest in the night after that he trauailed all day yet in truth he neither riseth nor setteth for that he is continually busie How the rising and setting of the sunne must be taken bringing day to some when others haue night But men say commonly so because that in regard of vs he seemeth when he retyreth as if he went to rest at euen-tide and that he riseth in the morning when he returneth vnto vs. Wherfore we say that he is hidden and downe when we see him not and that he is risen when he appeereth at point of day And so do the rude people and children which dwel neere the mountaines accustomablie say that he is gone to hide himselfe behind them And they which are neere the sea suppose that he goeth to plunge wash himselfe therein as the Poets also say accommodating their stile to the vulgar And yet al may behold that he riseth not on the same side where he setteth but on the other quite opposite Whereby is easie to be iudged that he hath not reposed all the while that men slept but hath passed much way And that he still carrieth his light with him for it is a most certaine thing that he hath not deliuered night and darknes to those people and nations by which he passed but light and day But if there be fewe amongst the rude and ignorant which meditate these things so farre there be fewer which consider of the prouidence of God that manifesteth it selfe in this perpetuall changing of day into night and of night into day For there is nothing more contrary then light and darknes and consequently then night and day And yet hath God so well disposed compacted and reconciled these contrarieties togither that if things were otherwise ordained there were neither man nor beast that could long liue vpon the face of the earth And therefore Ecclesiasticus saith Eccles 42. Oh how delectable are all his works and to be considered euen to the very sparks of fire they liue all and endure for euer and whensoeuer need is they are all obedient They are al double one contrarie to another hee hath made nothing that hath any fault The one commendeth the goodnes of the other and who can be satisfied with beholding Gods glory And indeed if the day should last perpetually and equally alike in all parts of the world the heat of the sunne would so scorch euery thing that it would drie vp and consume not onely men and beasts but euen all moisture and humiditie which is in the earth Meruailes of the prouidence of God in the commodities of day and night Whereby all liuing creatures should faile for they could not liue for two causes First because that life doth principally lie in heate and moisture and is conserued by them according to the order that God hath set in nature to guard and maintaine it Wherefore as men and beasts loose their life if their naturall heat be altogither extinguished so doth it likewise befall them when their moisture is entirely consumed For there must be a verie equall proportion in all those qualities which are in the bodies of liuing creatures to wit in heat and coldnes in drines and moisture according to the nature of the fowre elements whereof they are composed for the excesse of the one doth confound the other For which cause God hath so disposed the course of the Sunne that hee distributeth his heate in so good and iust measure that he hindreth the too much coldnes and moisture which might quench the naturall heate and yet doth not so consume them by the heat and drines which he causeth but that there alwaies remaineth so much as is needful for the life of all creatures And for the other reason that they would faile it is that neither man nor any other animall can liue without nourishment to repaire in them that which the naturall heate like a fire incessantly flaming hath consumed of radicall humor in their bodies yet this heat must be likewise maintained that it be not extinguished as wee haue amply discoursed concerning these things in the second part of our Academie For this cause then God hath ordained eating and drinking for the nouriture of all liuing creatures and hath appointed to the earth as to the mother of al the charge and office to produce fruits and other nourishments needfull for them Which she cannot do being by nature cold and drie if as she is warmed by the heat of the sunne she be not also moistned by the waters both of heauen earth And therefore when that the sunne hath heated and dried it vp all day long the night which is the shadow of the earth doth afterwards ensue and taking from vs the sight of the sunne and his light doth by this meanes bring vnto vs darknes which causeth night wherein the Moone who is colde and moist hath her rule as the sunne who is hot and drie hath his rule in the day time And so we must consider these two celestiall bodies very neerely according to their proper effects which we perceiue and experiment heere on earth below Genes 1 as also Moses testifieth vnto vs saying that God created two great lights amongst others to be as regents and rulers the one of day and the other of night So then as the earth and all that it beareth togither with all animals or liuing creatures that it nourisheth are heated and dried vp in the day time by the sunne euen so are they moistned and refreshed in the night time by the withdrawing thereof and by the humiditie and coldnes of the Moone Wherein there especially hapneth a mutuall accord betweene heauen and earth vnder which we comprise the aire waters and al creatures therein contained with their natures and qualities Moreouer in this maruel we are to consider that as men and animals cannot suruiue without nourishment which God hath prouided by the meanes aforesaid so likewise could they not liue without taking some rest
passe on the fifteenth day of the moones age bicause that then she doth oppositely confront the sunne Another time the superior moitie is fully illuminated to wit when she is conioined with the sunne which is ouer hir and then is hir lower part darkened not appeering to vs for two daies which commeth to passe at the ende of the moone and all the rest of the moneth she hath diuers illuminations For from hir coniunction with the sunne the light in the vpper part beginneth to faile and by little and little to come to the lower part towardes vs according as shee mooueth reculing from the sunne and so doth till the fifteenth day wherein all the inferior part towardes the earth is shining and the superiour part is cleane without light After which time the light beginneth to conuey it selfe to the vpper moitie decreasing by little and little towards vs in the lower moitie which at last is left cleane without brightnes and the other which wee see not becommeth all shining And it is to be noted that the hornes of the Moone which hir diuers aspect sheweth vs turne their back-parts towards the sunne and if shee encreaseth they are turned towards the sunne rising if she be in the waine they turne to the sun setting She shineth moreouer adding to each day three quarters and the fower and twentith part of an hower beginning from the second day till the time she make full moone and from that time forwards vsing the like substraction euery day till the time that she appeereth no more at all And when she is within fowerteene degrees of the sunne she is seene no more Whereby it appeereth The moone smaller then the other planets that all the rest of the planets are greater then the moone for none of them is hidde or obscured by the beames of the sunne except it be within seuen degrees thereof But in that they are all of them higher then the moone is they seeme to be lesser so in the same consideration it commeth to passe that the brightnes of the sunne hindreth vs of the sight of the fixed stars in the day time which neuerthelesse shine as well in the day as in the night time as may be perceiued at the eclipses of the sunne as likewise in a very deepe pit if one should descend thereunto in the day time Things to be considered in the shadow of the earth Moreouer all these stars are neuer eclipsed For the shadow of the earth which causeth the moone to loose hir light reacheth not beyond her heauen And the night also is no other thing but the shadow of the earth which shadow is in forme like a pyramis growing still lesse and lesse taperwise towards a point till at last it fadeth For all shadowes waxe lesse and lesse till they be cleane diminished by distance as may euidently bee seene by shadowes of birdes which flie in the aire Now the shadow of the earth finisheth in the aire at the beginning of the region of fire aboue the moone al things are pure wherfore it is not possible that the terrestriall shadow can hinder the brightnes of the stars which are aboue the moone And therefore likewise we behold them in the night time like a candle in a darke place But the shadow of the earth is the very cause that the moone is eclipsed alwaies by night Why the eclipses happen not euery month And it is to be noted in that that the eclipses both of the sunne and moone happen not euery moneth that it is by reason of the obliquenes of the Zodiacke and of the variable motions of the moone which being sometimes north and sometimes south as wee haue heeretofore declared meeteth not alwaies in coniunction or in opposition in the knots of the ecliptick circle which are in the head or in the taile of the dragon We may note also that the consideration of the shadowes and eclipses aforesaid hath taught men to iudge of the greatnes of the sunne of the moone and of the earth How one may â—udg of the greatnes of the sunne the moone and the earth For first it should be impossible that there had been any vniuersall eclipse of the sunne by the diametrall interposition of the moone if the earth were greater then the moone Againe this planet and the shadow of the earth deliuereth vnto vs greater certaintie that the vnmeasurable magnitude of the sunne is much more then their owne Hist nat lib. 2. in such sort that as Plinie saith there need nothing more be required to iudge of the immensitie of the sunne by the eie or by coniectures sith that the trees planted by the way side haue all of them their shadowes proportionably equall though there be much distance of ground betwixt them as if the sunne were in the midst of them and did giue light to all alike And during the time that the sunne is in the Equinoctiall-point ouer the southerne climates and regions he casteth his light downe right without making any shadow and yet in the north regions on this side the solstice-circle the shadowes fall on the north side at noone and toward the west at sunne rising which could not happen if the sunne were not very much greater then the earth But leauing this discourse we must out of our speech learne some point of Christian Astrologie Now we haue heard that the moone hath no light of her selfe at least that can appeere vnto vs but so much as she receiueth from the sunne according to the disposition or opposition of their diuers courses in such sort that the moon neuer persisteth in one estate but changeth incessantly But it is not so with the sunne for he hath alwaies as much light at one time as at another and is not subiect to any change I say then that in him we haue a goodly image of the constant and immutable God who is alwaies one The image of God in the sunne and euer without any variation and who firme in his counsell hath ordained concerning all things for euer according to his endlesse right and iust will Mal. 3. In the moone is an image of the creatures So contrariwise we haue represented to vs in the moone a perfect figure of the creatures by which is demonstrated vnto vs that all things vnder heauen are mutable and subiect to continuall change and also that according as we receiue our saluation in Christ through faith and as we increase therein in such degree are wee made partakers of his diuine light and of all his graces and blessings euen as the moone participateth of the brightnes of the sunne Many woorthy points to consider of in christian Astrology Moreouer we shall haue learned a woorthie point of Christian Astrologie when we shall consider that as these two celestiall planets haue perpetuall alliance and communication togither euen so the coniunction which is betwixt Iesus Christ and his church is eternall And
therfore according as it is said in the common prouerbe God keepeth the moone from wolues the faithfull may very aptly speake this of themselues concerning their enemies bicause they are much surer in the alliance of the Almightie and vnder his protection For as the sunne shall neuer be without the moone nor the moone without the sunne so the eternall sonne of God shall neuer be without his church nor his church without him although we see it sometimes increase and sometimes decrease and sometimes as if it cleane failed and were vanished like the eclipsed moone But as the moone doth not so faile by any eclipse that can happen but that it persisteth to remaine a moone still though she be not seene of men so the church can neuer cleane faile nor bee so consumed but that it shall euer bee a church notwithstanding that it may seeme to humane sight and exterior appeerance to be nothing at all and without any vigor For it is founded vpon the firme rocke which is Iesus Christ and therefore all the power of hell cannot preuaile against it nor waste it And the Lord can alwaies tell who be his though men knowe it not Next we must learne that as the moone is eclipsed when she is so opposed to the sunne that the shadowe of the earth spread out betweene them both hindreth her to receiue that light from him which she is accustomed to attract so commeth it to men in the church when their sinnes are like an obscure cloud and an obstacle which hindreth the fauor and grace of God that it cannot attaine to them and when there be mists and darknesses of ignorance which doe detaine them from beholding of Iesus Christ the true sunne of their soules and to commit themselues to be guided by the light of his worde But as the sunne faileth not though hee be eclipsed in regarde of vs so the soueraigne head of the elect doth neuer faile to his church though hee may seeme sometimes to bee absent and quite withdrawen for hee alwaies supporteth it by his power And therefore also it is written that the woman by whome the church is signified hath the moone vnder hir feete Apocal. 12. which is as much to say as that the conuersation of the children of God which are members of the church is not in earth but in heauen as Saint Paule testifieth and that they haue already put vnder their feete all worldly things Phil. 3. which are mutable and inconstant insomuch as they liue after the spirit not after the flesh Rom. 8. are illuminated by Iesus Christ who is the true sunne of iustice that by the brightnes of his word and of his comming discouereth all things It is most certaine that the number of these is verie small in respect of those worldly men Man subiect to greater changes then the moone who following the nature of elementarie and corporall things are subiect to greater changes then the moone hirselfe which being lower then all the other stars planets by so much neerer to the earth receiueth likewise some mutation greater then the rest of the starres as if God would represent vnto vs in her the changings whereto the elements and all creatures composed of them which are vnder the celestiall spheres are ordinarily subiect And yet doth not the moone change from her proper nature which was ordained by the creator from the beginning as we haue already declared yea though that in regard of vs and of our sight she haue the foresaid mutations yet doth she neuer faile but doth euermore repaire himselfe and presentlie renue so that we see her not weare away in such manner but that she persisteth without ceasing in her proper and naturall course But it is not so with men who change not onelie from day to day but also from hower to hower from instant to instant from age to age For as they daily proceed in growth of body and of strength from the hower of their conception and birth from time to time vntill they be arriued to their full vigor like the full moone so after they are ascended to this degree they alwaies abate and decline till their extreamest age and to death wherein they vtterly faile in respect of this life as if they had neuer beene For they cannot do like the moone who after her defect doth continually repaire and restore herselfe till such time as she shew herselfe full and entier But they are constrained to attend for that last day Acts. 3. which is called by Saint Peter the day of the restitution and restauration of all things foretold by the prophets So then in that day shall we be renued in a permanent estate for euer Behold then what me seemeth we must consider like christians vpon our discourses of the sunne and of the moone And hauing hitherto entreated of the heauenlie world and of the spheres sufficiently to content a Christian astronomer we will now proceed to describe the elementary world whereof ASER you shall begin to speake instructing vs in the principles of naturall and corruptible things Of the beginning of naturall and corruptible things Chapter 37. ASER. ALl Philosophers with one consent do teach that there hath beene at first or at least-wise one must vnderstand so some subiect without forme Of the first matter of aâ—â— things capable of all formes which they called matter or Hyle that is to say the substance or stuffe which some also haue named Chaos and which is properly described by Moses in these Hebrew wordes Tohu Bohu which is as much to say as I wot not what thing without forme containing by possibilitie all that which could be formed Plato in his Timaeo calleth it a Bosome without forme a power which is mother of the world a nurse a subiect and a receptacle of formes and saith that it was not distinguished by any quantity nor by any degree And bicause that out of this first subiect innumerable things were to be produced Anaxagoras disputeth how that in the same were coÌ„tained infinit formes and numbers not limited which the onely vnderstanding and thought creator of all things had drawne out in effect And this Aristotle attributeth to nature though sometimes he seemeth to distinguish this nature from God and make them companions oftentimes repeating these words God and Nature made or made nothing without cause Now for vs wee know that that nature which the philosophers called disposing distinguishing can be nothing else but God only as appeereth by sundry reasons which we haue heretofore deduced Wherefore holding this to be confessed we must be sure that the perpetuall generation of things declareth that it is a matter which hath at first beene made by some other meanes For corne commeth of the earth and of humor animals of seede and of bloud or egges ashes are made by wood and there is nothing so little but it is made of some subiect But in all these
the terrestriall celestiall and supercelestiall world by this number of ten as the diuinitie of the Hebrues doth teach and as we haue heretofore made mention The which number likewise doth containe all manner of numbers be they euen odde square long plaine perfect cubicall pyramidall prime or compound numbers And thereby that is by denarie proportions fower cubicall numbers are accomplished so fower is the roote of ten and ten of an hundred and an hundred of a thousand For as 1. 2. 3. and 4. make ten so by tens are hundreds made and by hundreds thousands Moreouer foure containeth all musicall harmonie bicause that therein is the proportion double triple quadruple of so much and an halfe and of so much a third wherof resulteth the diapason the bisdiapason diapente diatesseron and diapason togither with diapente For this cause Hierocles the interpreter of Pythagoras doth so extoll this number of fower that he affirmeth it to be the cause of all things and that nothing can be said or done which proceedeth not from it as from the roote and foundation of all nature And therfore did the Pythagorians sweare by this number as by some holy thing making as may be easily coniectured allusion to that great fower-lettered name of the Hebrues The name of God foure-lettered from whom they receiued their instructions Which name of the holy of holies God eternall and most good requireth no fewer letters among the Greekes and Latines no not amongst the most barbarous nations wherein one may directly beleeue that great mysteries are hidden That the foure elements do found all doctrine and art But not to wander farther from our elementarie region as therein we acknowledge fower elements so many likewise are there in the Metaphysicks to wit the essence the estate the vertue and the action The naturalist also teacheth fower nurses of nature to wit power growth the forme growne and the composition And the Mathematicians haue these fower elements the point the line the plaine and the solid And that which the point is in the Mathematicks the same is the seminarie power in the Phisickes the line is as the naturall growth the plaine or superficies as the forme perfect in greatnes and the solide or cube or deepe bodie as the composition There are amongst the morall philosophers also fower seedes of vertues prudence temperatenes or temperance fortitude and iustice And there are fower faculties found to iudge of things that is vnderstanding discipline opinion and the senses Artificers likewise accustome to settle their buildings vpon fower corners to the end they may be firme and durable wherein they imitate nature which worketh so in all this world And the soueraigne gouernor thereof hath willed that there should be fower foundations of the most perfect eternall and firme law of grace to wit the fower Euangelists Agreement of the elements It then plainly appeereth that not without great mysterie the creator setled fower foundations of all this mundane frame which in admirable proportion doe accord togither as al square numbers which are inclosed by a proper number referre themselues by a middle proportionall to both sides For as we haue said the elements are agreeable one to another with their coupled qualities whereof each retaineth one peculiar qualitie to it selfe and agreeth in the other as by a meane with the next element So that the fower elements are as if each one of them had two hands by which they held one another as in a round daunce or else as if they were conioined and linked togither as with chains and buckles And therefore the water is moist and cold retaining the moisture as peculiar to it selfe and in coldnes participating with the nature of the earth by the moisture thereof it is also allied vnto the aire which also in some measure participateth in heate with the nature of fire Wherefore as the earth accordeth in coldnes with the water so is the water answerable in moisture to the aire and the aire is correspondent in heate to the fire retaining yet neuertheles each of them one proper predominant qualitie But aboue all the Academicks haue inuented a goodly concord betweene these elements in their discourses of the quadruple proportion from which onely their musicall proportions doe proceede for if one passe farther mens eares seeme to bee offended They say then Of the harmonie of the elements that the fire is twise more subtile then the aire thrise more mooueable and fower times more pearsing Likewise that the aire is twise more sharpe then the water thrise more subtile and fower times more mooueable Againe that the water is twise more sharpe then the earth thrise more subtile and fower-times more mooueable And in this proportion haue they found out the harmonie of the elements and shewed that though the fire be sharpe subtile and mooueable the aire subtile mooueable and moist the water mooueable moist and corporall the earth corporall immooueable and dry yet is there a certaine accord and vnion betweene them bicause that betwixt the fire and the earth the aire and water haue been placed by such a couenant that there is the same respect betwixt the fire and the aire that is betweene the aire and the water and betweene the water and the earth and againe that such as the earth is towards the water such is the water towards the aire and the aire towards the fire in correspondencie of qualities and harmonious contrarietie Wherefore they conclude that the harmonie is on all sides so great among the elements that it is no maruell if in their proper places and in their compounds they maintaine and repose themselues with very great and friendly concord Whereby it appeereth that none can induce a goodlier reason why the water doth not ouerflow the earth being higher then it then to say that it will not swarue from this agreement But further concerning this matter what shall we say of those which accept but of three elements namely the aire the water and the earth and reiect the elementary fire I would faine heare you ARAM discourse thereof Of the opinion of those who admit but three elements not acknowledging the elementary fire Chapter 39. ARAM. BEtweene the lowest place and the highest it is necessarie that there shoulde be two places simplie meane to wit the places not exactly lowest nor highest And for that consideration some of the learned conclude that there be so many simple bodies made and consisting of the prime and first matter which are called by the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is beginnings or elements of those proceedeth the generation of all corruptible things And if probable arguments may ought preuaile each one must acknowledge fower elements in all compound bodies as the most part of those who haue diligently considered the workes of nature are of opinion Now there is none that can doubt of the earth of the water and of the aire because of their
wanteth fastnes clearnes and waight which makes this mettall vnperfect and impure And Iron is procreated of the same quicksiluer impure tough part earthie and burnt white and not cleere which maketh this mettall base and foule failing in purenes and in waight All which mettals being made of quicksiluer which is waterie doe for this cause retaine the nature of the water To this author accordeth Auicen in his Phisickes and in the epistle to Hazem the philosopher But Gilgil the Spanyard supposed that mettals had been engendred of cinders bicause they sinke in water and melt like the glasse which is drawne from terrestriall-cinders and beaten stone But this concludeth not for mettall sinketh and descendeth by reason of that terrestriall part which it hath incorporated with the liquid part and bicause that the pores which retaine the aire are closed and shut vp And for glasse it is not extracted out of the earthie matter but out of the radicall moisture which is within the cinders and stones For in euery compound are the fower elements though the nature of one hath more domination therein For this cause likewise plants are founded vpon the third angle of the world called airie Concord of the plants with the aire for they doe not growe nor fructifie but in open day and doe properly retaine the nature of the aire which they alwaies require as being fittest and aptest for them Yea the wood it selfe would presently corrupt and rot being depriued of the aire if the watrie humor doe not succour it which participateth with the aire Finally vpon the fourth angle of this fower-faced edifice to wit Animals accord with the fire vpon the fire is the liuing sensitiue creature built whose life as many learned doe teach is by meanes of fire and obtained from the Empyreall heauen and from the spirit of life which is a quickning fire and distributeth life to all the mundane wheeles as we may learne by the oracles of Ezechiel saying Ezech. 1. And the spirit of life was in the wheeles Behold then how vpon the fower bases of the elements are planted fower sorts of perfect compounds to wit stones mettals plants and liuing creatures True it is that vnder euery vniuersall kinde of these there are diuers particular species distinct the one from the other for although stones may be properly earthie yet are they sometimes nominated of some other element which most preuaileth in their composition For doubtlesse all the elements doe meete togither in the procreation of them but chiefly earth and water Whereupon obscure and thicke-darke stones are called earthie-stones and cleere transparent stones waterie Diuersitie of the nature of stones and some also are melted by a great fire to be turned into glasse Some also with raine falling drop by drop are engendred in the shels of oisters as those pearles which are found in the Indian and Britaine seas The chrystal and Beryll are made of water frozen voide of pores or subtile passages so that they can neither receiue heate nor be melted It appeereth also that there is fire in the composition of stones which likewise is forced out of the flint being stroken with a gad of steele To which purpose Hermes amongst his secrets teacheth that a stone doth sometimes spring out of the fire mounting from earth to heauen and then againe returning to the earth that nourished it For mettals likewise Diuersitie of the mettals though they be waterie some of them doe neuertheles retaine the nature of fire as gold and iron one of which imitateth the fire of the sunne and the other the fire of Mars But tinne and copper are airie this receiuing influence from Venus that from Iupiter Siluer agreeth with the moone Lead with Saturne quicksiluer with Mercurie and yet all of them are endued with a waterie nature wil melt and doe differ in waight For as one water doth differ in waight from another so doth mettall from mettall not onely in speciall but also in vndiuisible proportion For common gold differeth in waight from that which the Latines call Obrysum or else Ofiryzum of the Hebrue word Ofir which we call fine golde and which hath been oftentimes purged and refined in the fire and wasteth not therein The gold of Tharsis also doth differ from the gold of India and Hungarie and so of others So likewise doe waters differ in goodnes and in waight according to the region and place wherein they are and by how much they are neerer to the fountaine by so much are they better and lighter And by their waight as Vitruuius will haue it one may knowe the goodnes of the aire according to which he willeth men to choose out places to build houses in Concerning plants although they may be by nature airie A different propertie of the plants yet there are some whose rootes iuice leaues and blossomes are said to be hot in the first second third or fourth degree and others are cold and drie some also are moist which diuersitie happeneth according as the plant obtaineth more or lesse of the nature of one of the elements Diuersitie of nature in animalibus The like is of liuing creatures For though they may properly be said to be of the nature of fire yet are there some which being more earthie delight in the earth as mowles woormes and commonly all creeping things Likewise all fishes are nourished by the water the chameleon by the aire the salamander by fire as some affirme bicause that he long time indureth fire through his excessiue coldnes There are some also which burne with great heate as doues and lions some are cooled with moisture as the lambe and some are dry as hares and deere But neuerthelesse in regarde of their life they are all especially of the nature of fire distinguished by degrees wherefore diuers names haue beene assigned to them being borrowed from the elements or from their qualities Of the celestiall and supercelestiall elements And besides all this which we haue heere discoursed concerning the elements which may bee found in the perfectly compounded substances of this elementarie world many learned men affirme that they are also resident in the celestiall and supercelestiall world But that as they are heere thicke and grosse so by a contrary reason they are pure and cleane in heauen and in it liuing and euery where well doing They say then that these celestiall elements are as the woorthiest excellent portion of those which subsist vnder the moones-sphere in the second degree and which remaine also in the bowels of the earth as the most base and grosse lees of the elements And that in heauen they are certaine vertues or powers and in nature the seedes of things and in the world below grosse formes For as they argue if there were no elementarie powers in heauen how then by the celestiall influences should these elements heere below be engendred and transformed in such sort as that which
now is aire may be conuerted into raine the water exhaled into aire the earth turned into wood which nourisheth the fire and from the wood riseth aire and ashes fal which is earth For these causes also it is very likely that the Astronomers distinguish the signes of the Zodiack and the Planets by the elements attributing three signes to euery of them as we haue already declared But we shal finde enough to content vs concerning this matter when we discourse particularly as touching the firme concord which remaineth betwixt the terrestriall elements and the Planets Which AMANA let be the subiect of your morrow speech The end of the fift day THE SIXT DAIES WORKE Of the agreement betwixt the Elements and the Planets Chap. 41. ASER. AS the celestiall spheres doe follow that vniuersall common course which the first heauen that containeth and encloseth them all doth begin beside the motions that are proper peculiar to each of thē as we haue alreadie heeretofore declared so must we in like sort note that the elements do follow the heauens obserue an order after them euery one in his degree hauing their motions also agreeable to their nature And that likewise there is betwixt them and the celestiall bodies a certaine accord and answerablenes of powers and qualities aptly proportioned by degrees euen as is found in all creatures compounded of them We will then first entreat of this agreement betwixt the elements and the heauens Agreeablenes of the earth with the moone beginning with the earth which is correspondent to the moone in diuers respects For as the earth draweth the water to it and soketh it vp in such sort that it is numbred by the Sages amongst those things which are neuer satisfied to wit with water so doth the moone with a perpetuall attraction draw the water making it sometimes to rise to wit when from the orientall Horizon she cōmeth to the midst of heauen from whence descending to the occidentall Horizon she carieth it away with her with such violence that it seemeth to flie from vs. Againe when the moone runneth in the point opposite to the midde heauen she draweth the water away with her then returning againe to the easterne Horizon she causeth it to follow after her in like sort When she encreaseth also she draweth vp the humors in trees and mens bodies when she waineth she chaseth them downe Againe the earth and moone do agree in the first qualities of cold and drie wherewith the earth is actually and the moone operatiuely replenished which also according to her nature being somewhat terrestriall doth suppe vp the celestiall waters and all the influences of the bodies aboue her which as neerest to vs she doth communicate with vs. For she receiueth from the other planets and principally from the sunne that which she distributeth heere below And therefore Plato in his Banquet saith The moone and earth singular in variety That the moone participateth with the sunne and with the earth Moreouer the moone is singular in varietie whence it commeth to passe that one while she is crooked with hornes another time diuided into equall proportions or halues then being full round she is here and there bespotted somtimes she seemeth vnmeasurably great in hir round fulnesse presently after she appeereth very small now she sheweth very faire towards the north afterwards againe she is couched in the south so within a few daies she submitteth hir selfe to coniunction and by and by is she full and big presently after she is deliuered of the fruit which she had conceiued Now in this great changeablenes the moone doth shew vs that the earth is like vnto hir For now being disrobed of hir ornaments she appeereth blacke afterwards being painted and adorned with herbes and flowers she seemeth very faire One part thereof is stonie another part is marish In one place it is leane in another place fat here abased in vallies there lift vp in mountaines here fertile yonder barren One part is checkered with diuers spots this red that blacke one white another browne One portion is close and clammie another thinne and sandie Moreouer the earth is sometimes void and emptie and then she receiueth the coniunction of the planets whereby in short space being filled she bringeth foorth fruit So then the moone amongst the stars and the earth amongst the elements doe agree in many particulars Now as touching the water The water correspondent to mercury it seemeth to be answerable to Mercurie and to Saturne also For the order of the planets and the correspondencie which they haue to things here belowe did require that next after the earthly moone waterie Mercurie should be situate whome poets haue named the Arbiter or vmpier of the waters then followeth next airie Venus and after hir the sunne which is of the nature of fire Then againe Mars participating of the same force hath his seate next aboue the sunne airian Iupiter aboue Mars waterish Saturne ouer Iupiter and the signe-bearing heauen aboue Saturne as answering to the earth then higher againe is the first mooueable of the nature of fire It is certaine that the nature of Mercurie is by so much more hard to be deciphered by how much his starre is more hidden and harde to be seene and that very seldome too And therefore doe Astronomers affirme that his influent power is secrete by reason that hee easily accepting the nature of the planet wherewith hee is conioyned or of the signe wherein hee is resident seemeth to operate not according to his owne proper nature but as the executor of the influence of another Whereupon he is by them nominated Hermes to signifie that he is as it were interpretor of the other stars intendements For by the testimonie of Ptolemie he drieth vp being with the Sunne he cooleth with the Moone hee fauoureth the vnderstanding with Saturne he bestoweth aduise policie in warlike affaires where stoutnes is required with Mars and conioyned to Venus he engendreth the * One that is of both sexes Anerogyne or Hermaphrodite which must be vnderstood concerning him who exerciseth subtiltie of wit which he receiueth from Mercurie in the second Venus which is disordinate For such a man is effeminate retayning the propertie of both sexes So that Mercurie agreeing with the reasonable discourse and fauouring the same as he is turned towards the superiour stars or else towards the inferiour he likewise produceth diuers effects in so much that his propertie cannot easily be comprehended And yet may he verie aptly be said to be of the nature of water as many Philosophers are of opinion considering that the order of the planets requireth to obserue the harmonie and league of things heere below with those aboue that he should be watrie Moreouer as water doth in washing take away the spot that couereth in such sort that the naked bare forme doth appeere so Mercurie contributing fauour to the promptnes and subtiltie of mens wits
let vs now returne to our elementarie world and particularly behold the nature of the fower elements and of things engendred in them and by them Then haue we enough to stand vpon for the common opinion of those who establish this number of fower in that which hath beene already declared and now also in this discourse Let vs first then AMANA heare you discourse of the fire and of the aire and of their maruailous effects Of the fire and of the aire and of the things engendred in them and of their motions and of the Windes Chap. 42. AMANA MAny Philosophers doe diuide all that which subsisteth vnder the concaue of the Moone into three parts one of which they call the highest the other the middle and the third the lowest part The highest they place aboue the middle region of the aire and make as it were the same element partaker with the most pure fire which the ancients nominated Aether because that there the elements are pure subtile thin rare and for that the aire there is very temperate and cleere agreeing with the nature of heauen as to the contrarie in the lower part which is that where we inhabite there is not any sincere element for a sensible element is not pure but all things are there compounded and mixed with the muddie and grosse part of this mundane bodie And concerning the middle region of the aire it is that verie place where the meteors and high impressions do appeere So then aboue the elements are pure beneath the perfect composed bodies do faile by reason of their mixture of the elementary simplicitie in the middle they compound themselues vnperfectly in such sort that one may say that they possesse the middle place betwixt the nature of the elements and of things compounded Now as we haue said before and as the common saying of people is the heauen is often taken for this supreme and middle region of the aire and for the things which are to them conioined and do depend vpon their effects Of the things conioyned and depending vpon the effectes of the fire and of the aire So that in this regard we may vnderstand first two of the fower elements to wit the aire and the fire then all things ingendred in them and by them as windes thunders lightnings haile whirle-windes cloudes Psal 8. Matth. 6. Luke 8. tempests raine dewes frosts snowes and all kinds of fire and such like which arise and appeere in the aire And therein we may also comprise all the creatures which conuerse in it as birds and all creatures that flie euen as the holy Scripture teacheth vs when it maketh mention of the birds of heauen Now the element of fire is knowne to haue his place neerest to the moone being by nature hot and dry and is for this cause lightest hauing his motion quicker then all the elements bicause that lightnes and quicknes is proper to these two qualities heat and drines and therefore also the propertie thereof is to mount alwaies vpwards Of the proper nature of the fire and of the aire vntill that it hath attained to the place destinated vnto it being most conuenient for the nature thereof and which ioineth next vnto the spheres Next the fire the aire possesseth the second place and agreeth in nature with the fire in that it is hot but is contrarie thereto in that it is also moist And therefore the motion thereof followeth that of the fire but it is not so light and quicke by reason of the humiditie which maketh it more heauie and slow That the aire is alwaies mooued And yet it appeereth that it is alwaies mooued bicause that in narrow places small winds doe blow without ceasing For considering that the aire hath the motion thereof tending alwaies vpwards and that it is continually mooued vp and downe it bloweth in a great space very gently but passing through a creuisse or streight place all the violence thereof being drawne togither by reason of the narrownes of the place driueth out flieth vehemently vpon vs after the maner of the waters of great flouds which when it seemeth that they can scarce flowe being vrged through a narrow place or through sluces are constrained to runne out by much force with noise and roring Moreouer according as the aire is mooued either by the heate of the sunne or by the vapors and exhalations which this heat causeth to rise out of the waters and out of the earth or by the waues of the sea or by the caues of the earth and such like causes What winde is we perceiue the aire diuersly agitated For we must note that the windes are nothing else but the aire which is mooued and driuen more violently then ordinarie and which hath his motion more sodaine more violent and strong being driuen and pressed forwards according as the causes are more great or small and according to the places from whence they proceed And this is the reason why the aire is sometimes so peaceable that one cannot feele so much as one onely small puffe of winde but it is as calme as the sea when it is not tossed with any winde or tempest As is euident by those vanes and weathercocks which are set in the tops of turrets and houses for when the winde bloweth not their plates are nothing mooued and yet the aire doth neuer faile to blowe by reason of the perpetuall motion thereof but insomuch as it is not hoised vp and downe it passeth and flieth lightly away without any noise or bruite towards that part whereto we see the point of the vane enclined Of the diuersity of the windes and of the order and boundes of them Sometimes also one may feele some small pleasant and gentle winde to blowe without any violence which is very delectable recreatiue and profitable not onely in regard of men and other liuing things but in respect also of all the fruits of the earth At another time likewise the violence of the windes is so great that it raiseth vp whirle-windes stormes and tempestes which driue the aire with such fury and roughnes that it seemeth they would ouerthrow and confound heauen and earth togither beating downe and carying away all that is before them like a great deluge and water-floud which beareth away with it all that it meets with But though one may suppose so during such tempests yet the course of the windes are not so confused but that all of them obserue their order and certaine places out of which they issue and proceed and their bounds likewise whereat they stay and wherein they are confined as the element of which they are engendred And therefore by experience we see that they follow the course of the Sunne and that they are distributed and disposed according to all the partes of the world as we vsually diuide it hauing respect to the moouing of the spheres For as we diuide the course of the sunne and
his voice he worketh great things which we know not And who I pray you would not woonder to see the fire and water which are of contrarie natures mingled one with another and lodged both in one lodging and proceeding out of one place together For where remayneth this fire which sheweth it selfe in lightning commeth it not out of the cloudes wherein it is enclosed before they be opened and burst by the thunder And of what substance is the cloude Is it not of water massed vp together which couereth and keepeth in the fire as in an harth For doe not we oftentimes behold while it raineth and great flouds and streames of water do fall so that it seemeth that all the cloudes and the whole aire should melt and resolue into water that great lightnings of fire flash appeere and runne euerie where about like burning darts and arrowes For while the hot exhalations are inclosed in the cloude Causes of the noise and of the lightning of thunder and retayned therein peforce with the violence and contention which is betwixt these contraries the noise of thunder is made And when the matter is so abundant in the cloude that it maketh it to breake and open and that it may reach to the earth then is there not onely thunder and great lightning but also thunderbolts and which are of diuers verie maruellous and fearfull kinds For some bring with them that fire which is not easie to be quenched as we haue alreadie declared others are without fire and pierce through the most solide and firme bodies so that there is no force which can resist them And sometimes also it happeneth that those which are stroken therewith be they men or beasts remaine all consumed within as if their flesh sinewes and bones were altogither molten within their skin it remayning sound whole as if they had no harme so that it is verie hard to finde in what part the bodie was striken We are not then to hold in small accompt that the holy scripture proposeth God vnto vs so often thundring and lightning when it would declare vnto vs his maiesty and how terrible he is and to bee feared For it is certaine that he hath many weapons and of diuers sorts very strong and ineuitable when he will punish men and that his onely will is sufficient to serue him when and how he pleaseth Supernaturall causes to bee considered in thunder And therefore also wee must acknowledge besides these naturall causes which make and engender thunder the prime eternall and supernaturall cause of all things from which proceede so many signes of the meruailous iudgements of God through the ministerie of his creatures oftentimes contrary to that which seemeth to bee ordained by the lawes of nature For when he will thunder vpon his enemies he breaketh and suddainely consumeth them in strange manner And therefore it is written 1. Sam. 2. 7 that the Lord shall destroy those who rise vp against him and that he shall thunder vpon them from heauen And in the battaile which the children of Israel had against the Philistims it is said that after the praier of Samuell the Lord in that day thundred a great thunder vpon his enemies and scattered them and slew them before the host of Israel When Moses also stretched out his rod towards heauen it is said Exod. 9. that the Lord caused thunder and haile and that the fire walked vpon the ground and that haile and tempests stroke many men and beasts in Egypt Moreouer we doubt not but that euill spirits do sometimes raise vp tempests thunder and lightning because that the principall power of them is in the aire And therefore when it pleaseth God to slack their bridle they raise vp terrible and woondrous stormes Which is apparently demonstrated vnto vs in Iob Iob. 1. whose seruants and cattell Sathan burned with the fire which he caused to fall from heauen and by a great winde that he raised he ouerturned the house vpon his children And therefore also the scripture calleth the diuell Prince of this world Ephes 2. 6. and of darknes and of the power of the aire teaching vs also that wee must fight against the euill spirits which are in the celestiall places It is no meruaile then if euill spirits ioyne themselues with tempests to hurt men to their vttermost abilitie For which cause Dauid calleth the inflaming of the wrath of God choler Psal â—8 indignation and anguish the exploit of euill angels Wherefore it is certaine that when God hath a meaning not onely to punish the wicked but also to chastice his owne or to try their faith constancie patience he giueth power to diuels to this effect yet such as that he alwaies limiteth theÌ„ so that they can do nothing but so far as is permitted them Now he permitteth them so far as he knoweth to bee expedient for his glory and for the health of his or so much as the sins and infidelity of men deserue that he may chastice and punish them and bring vengeance vpon them for their iniquities And therefore mee seemeth that to such meteors the Epicures and Atheists should bee sent who mocke at the prouidence of God as likewise the tyrants of this world Against Atheists and Tyrants who treade all iustice vnderfoot to make them thinke a little whether there be a God in heauen and whether he bee without power and without medling in the gouernment of the world For I cannot beleeue that there is any one of them but would be waked out of his sleep how profound soeuer it were when he should heare God shoote out of the highest heauens and should vnderstand the noise of his cannons and should behold the blowes that he striketh For he is in a place so high that all the wicked together cannot make batterie against him nor yet auoid his ineuitable strokes who can slay them with the feare onely which they shall haue of his noise without touching them But though they cannot assure themselues in their harts against this soueraigne maiestie and power of the eternall yet are they so peruerse and wicked that rather then they will render to him the honor and glorie which is due they forge vnto themselues a nature to which they attribute his workes or else beleeue that they happen by chance as things comming by haphazard without any diuine prouidence But leauing such manner of people we will pursue our discourse concerning things engendred in the higher elements entreating of snowes mists frosts and haile the discourse whereof ASER I referre to you Of snowes mists frosts ice and haile Chap. 45. ASER. SIth that God is not subiect to the nature which hee hath created but doth euer rest the Lord and master thereof who can performe both without it and with it all that he pleaseth it therefore followeth that we must refer not to the creatures or to nature the workes which he hath done
Of cloudes and vapors Chap. 47. ARAM. AS the Lord and father of this great vniuers doth publish his glorie by the motions of the heauens the maruellous courses of all the lights in them so doth he likewise in the aire after many sorts as we haue alreadie heard as we haue yet good proofs in that which is presented vnto vs for the matter of our discourse And therefore the kingly prophet saith Psal 19. that the heauens report the glory of God and the firmament doth declare his works For the Hebrew word which wee call firmament doth properly signifie a spreading abroad and comprehendeth both the heauen and the aire Now let vs first note that there is nothing more weake then the aire nor any element that can worse sustaine a charge if it haue no other prop. Then let vs consider of what matter the cloudes are made and what firmenes they may retaine How cloudes are made of vapors It is certaine that they are nothing else but vapors attracted out of the waters by the power of the sunne as wee behold after a great raine when the heat of the sunne striketh vpon the earth For wee perceiue the water to ascend vpwards like a great smoke and wee see an other cleere experience hereof in wet clothes and linnen when they receiue the heat of heauen or of the fire So it is then that the water ceaseth not to mount from earth vp into the aire and then to descend downe againe so that the course thereof is perpetuall as if there were a sea mounting from earth to heauen which we call Aire then descending from thence downe hither to vs. For after that of vapors which ascend from the earth the cloudes are gathered togither which like spunges doe receiue the steame of the waters whereof they themselues are engendred then doe they carrie them like chariots to distribute them through all the quarters of the world according as is ordained by the prouidence of God And therefore Elihu saith in the booke of Iob. Behold God is excellent and we know it not Iob. 36. neither can the number of his yeeres be searched out when he restraineth the drops of water the raine powreth downe by the vapor thereof which raine the clouds doe drop and let fall abundantly vpon man Then proceeding to shew how God spreadeth out the light of the sunne vpon the waters of the sea to draw out and produce vapors he addeth Who can know the diuisions that is the varieties and diuersities of the cloudes and the thunders of his tabernacle Behold hee spreadeth his light vpon it and couereth the rootes of the sea Meaning by rootes the waters of the sea as well because they are deepe as for that they are diuided by diuers waues like the branches of rootes Propertie of the windes in regard of the cloudes Moreouer we must consider that to carrie conuey the cloudes hither and thither God hath created the winds which blow from all the quarters of the world some to gather the cloudes together and to bring raine and snow or haile and tempests by meanes of the same cloudes according as pleaseth the Creator to dispose them other winds on the contrarie do disperse them and make the aire cleere and pleasant bringing faire weather Hereof then it commeth that aboue in the aire betweene heauen and earth there is as it were an other heauen made of clouds spread out like a curtaine and like a vault or couering ouer our heads which hindreth vs of sight of the Sunne Moone and stars But as this masse of cloudes is made by meanes of winds ordained thereto so when it pleaseth God to giue vs faire weather then doth he sende vs other winds which chase away all these cloudes and cleere the aire as if they had beene swept away and the heauen sheweth another countenance to the world as if it had beene changed and renued Now while the aire is so filled with cloudes this may verie well be considered by vs that men haue then as it were a great sea of water ouer their heads contayned and held within those cloudes as the waters of the sea are within the bounds which are assigned them for their course Which it seemeth that Moses taught when he sheweth that God creating all things separated the waters which are vpon the earth from those which are in the aire Genes 1. saying thus That there was a stretching out betweene the waters and that it separated the waters from the waters God then made the firmament or spreading abroad or stretching out and separated the waters which are vnder the firmament from those which were aboue it and it was so And God called the firmament Heauen It is sure that by these words many haue thought that the prophet would teach that there were waters both vnder aboue heauen which seemeth to be cōfirmed by the Psalmist Psal 148. Whether there be any materiall waters aboue the heauens saying Praise yee the Lord heauens of heauens waters that be aboue the heauens praise his name Neuerthelesse it is not verie easie for vs to vnderstand what waters may be aboue the heauens if we doe not take the name of heauen in these two texts for the aire as wee haue heretofore shewed that it is oftentimes so taken For what shall wee answere beeing demaunded to what vse the materiall waters may serue either among the spheres or aboue the planets and stars And for to take the name of waters here for spirituall waters not corporall as many haue argued mee seemeth vnder correction of the wiser which wee preferre in all our discourses that this cannot fitly be affirmed because it doth euidently appeare that Moses speaketh of materiall waters For he accommodating himselfe to a grosse people amongst whom hee conuersed maketh no mention in all the creation of the world but of the creating of visible and corporall things so that there is small likelihood that he should speake of other waters mixing spirituall things with corporall But because the Latin translator of the common version of the bible hath vsed in this text the word firmament following the translation of the Greekes and not the proper word spreading abroad as the Hebrue phrase doth signifie some of the learned haue obserued how that many Latine diuines haue beene hindred from the vnderstanding of this doctrine For they haue taken the name Firmament for the starrie heauen as also the Greekes haue iudged imitating their translation Whereupon the imagination is sproong of waters aboue the heauens and of a christalline heauen which I suppose to haue been so called Of the chrystaline heauen by reason of these waters which were supposed to be aboue the firmament bicause that chrystall is made of ice and ice of water For it had beene very difficult to conceiue how materiall waters which by nature are corruptible might be aboue the celestiall spheres except they were hardened and conuerted
into chrystal bicause that from the moone vpwards there are no creatures subiect to corruption and to such changes as those that are vnder the moone Behold then why these men haue supposed such waters to haue beene made partakers of the nature of heauen But what neede is there to trauell in such disputations and to take paines for to haue recourse to allegories when one may be easily satisfied with the literall sense For there is nothing more easie then to make the wordes of Moses cleere and euident being throughly considered For first he hath declared Of the separation of the terrestriall and celestiall waters how that the earth was couered all ouer with water and that there was a great deepe ouerwhelmed with darknes so that the earth did in no wise appeere till such time as God had commanded the waters to retire themselues into their places which he hath assigned for their perpetuall residence And then the earth was discouered euen so much thereof as was needfull for the habitation and nourishment of men and of all the creatures which God did afterwardes create Psal 104. Therefore Dauid as the expounder of Moses words saith That the Lord hath set the earth vpon hir foundations adding straight after That hee had couered it with the deepe as with a garment and that the waters did stand aboue the mountaines but at his rebuke they fled which is as much to say as when God had commanded the waters to retire and to discouer the earth they suddenly obeied the voice of their creator Now Moses hauing spoken of those waters which are resident here belowe on earth gathered as well into the sea as into fountains and riuers he afterwards declareth how God would assigne vnto them another abode in a certaine region of the aire which he first calleth a spreading abroad and after that heauen which the Psalmist also signifieth when he saith of God that he couereth himselfe with light as with a garment and spreadeth the heauens like a curtaine which is to say that the light is to the creator like a stately garment wherein we beholde his glorie to shine and glister euery where and that he hath spread abroad the heauens like a pauilion for his habitation Moreouer he addeth The Lord doth lay the iousts of his high chambers amōgst the waters he maketh the great cloudes his chariot He holdeth backe saith Iob the face of his throne and stretcheth out his cloude vpon it Iob. 26. And therefore the Scripture doth also teach vs that God hath oftētimes declared his presence Exod. 13.14.16 40. Acts. 1. manifested his glory both to Moses to all the people of Israell by the cloudes And when Iesus Christ ascended into heauen a cloud taking him bare him vp in the sight of his apostles to declare vnto them and make them sure of the place whither he went vsing this cloude as a triumphant chariot which hath giuen testimonie of his soueraigne and eternall maiestie And therefore it is also written that he shall come in the cloudes of heauen with power and glorie Wherefore if we were well instructed in the sacred word of God we should haue a verie cleere doctrine concerning Meteors and which were much more profitable then that which Philosophers teach For the cloudes would excellently declare vnto vs the magnificence and maiestie of God so often as wee should behold them Matth. 24. and would represent vnto vs all the woonders by vs here mentioned as we shall also be induced to admire them considering more neerely the great miracle of the waters sustained and hanged in the aire as pursuing our purpose I leaue to you ACHITOB to discouer Of the waters sustayned and hanged in the aire and of the raine-bowe Chap. 48. ACHITOB. I Will begin my speech with the saying of the kingly prophet Psal 104. who after that he had appointed the heauens for the pauilion of God ordained the cloudes for the planchers thereof whereupon are raised the loftie chambers that is to say the great spatious waters amassed vp within the cloudes which he also proposeth vnto vs as the chariot vpon which the Eternall is borne being consequently willing to shew what the horses are by which this chariot is drawen and driuen he saith He walketh vpon the wings of the wind He maketh the spirits his messengers and flaming fire his ministers which is as much as if in sum he would declare that men need not labour to mount aloft into heauen there to cōtemplate and behold God sith that hee so cleerely manifesteth himselfe throughout the whole world principally by the celestiall creatures and then by the magnificent and maruellous works which he daily performeth heere in the aire neere vnto vs and before our eies So surely if we must account as great miracles the comming of the Sunne vnto vs and his returne which daily continueth and the courses and motions of all the other celestiall bodies we haue no lesse occasion to account as a thing miraculous and worthie of great wonder that we so often behold here below Wonder of the waters carried in the aire a great cel of waters ouer our heads in the aire sustained by the water it selfe by vapours like to smoke as if they were hanged in the aire and were there borne vp without any stay and prop but by the inuisible vertue and power of God For otherwise how could the cloudes sustaine so great heapes and such deepe gulfes of water considering that they are nothing else but water and do also come at lēgth to resolue into water Againe how without this diuine power could these cloudes be supported in the aire seeing that the aire it selfe seemeth to consist of waters most subtilly distilled beeing very light and in continuall motion For it euidently appeareth that the aire retaineth much of the nature of water because that so ordinarily it conuerteth thereinto beeing inclosed in a cold and moist place so that many fountaines are by this meanes engendred of aire if wee will credite Naturalists And therefore as Dauid saith of the waters which runne about the earth that God hath appointed a bound vnto them which they may not passe nor returne any more to ouerflow the habitation of men so may wee likewise say that he hath bounded the waters that hang in the aire within the cloudes to the end that they may not run loosely astray Iob. 26. And therfore Iob saith He bindeth the waters in the cloudes and the cloud is not broken vnder them For else it is most certaine that so often as these waters should fall vpon the earth they would drowne vp all things whereupon they powred like as when the sea and riuers ouerflow the banks or like a great deluge as came to passe when God punished the world by waters Genes 7. in the time of Noah For it is written that not onely all the fountaines of the great deep were broken vp
but that the windowes of heauen were opened and that raine fell vpon the earth forty daies and fortie nights For which cause also the Psalmist singeth The voice of the Lord is vpon the waters Psal 29. the glory of God maketh it to thunder the Lord is vpon the great waters He was set vpon the floud and he shal remaine king for euer which is asmuch to say as the Lord hath executed his iudgement vpon the wicked by the waters of the floud and that as then he tooke vengeance so it is he that doth for euer remaine iudge of the world and that maketh all creatures to tremble before him Where wee haue great matter of feare and trembling if wee beleeue the word of God and the testimonies which it deliuereth of his iudgements when I say we diligently consider the effects of the nature of the higher elements Therefore whensoeuer wee see close weather and the aire filled with cloudes threatning vs with raine and tempests the sight thereof should alwaies refresh and renew in vs the memorie of this iudgement of God so terrible and vniuersall in the flud to teach vs to walke in more feare of his Maiestie But there are few which thinke thereupon and can make their profite thereof and many to the contrarie doe but iest and scoffe at it as if it were a fable and a fantasie I knowe very well that the scripture saith that God set the raine-bow in the cloudes for signe of an accord and attonement betweene him and men and euery liuing creature to the ende that the waters might neuer after increase to such a floud as should roote out all flesh But we must note that the Eternall doth not here promise neuer to send any deluge vpon the earth Genes 9. Many goodly thingâ— to bee câ—â—â—â—dered in the rainâ—â—â—â—w but onely not a generall and vniuersall floud as the first was in the time of Noah For how many times hath he punished particularly many people with great inundations and deluges of water signifying vnto all that he hath all his creatures at commandement for euer to make them serue either to his wrath or to his mercie according as he will intreat men and hereupon we shall learne that though it seemeth that in the place before alledged the raine-bowe is named as if it had been spred in the aire at that time onely when it was giuen by God as a signe and sacrament of his couenant renewed yet neuertheles we must not doubt but that when God created the causes of this bowe in nature ordained by him he did also create it in the establishing of the world with other creatures But it was not vsed by God for a testimonie of his attonement with mankinde till after the flood So likewise it is certaine that this heauenly bowe hath naturally had at all times the significations which at this present it retaineth to presage raine or faire weather according as it diuersly appeereth But since that the creator hath accepted it for a signe of his couenant it hath had this vantage to be ordained as a gage and witnes of the promises of God And therefore whensoeuer we behold it in heauen we must not onely consider of it as of a naturall thing and as a prognosticator sometimes of raine sometimes of faire weather but likewise as a witnes and memoriall as well of the iudgement of God as of his grace and mercie and of the assurance of the conseruation of all creatures by his prouidence But though it should teach vs nothing of al this but should onely retaine the beautie and naturall signification thereof yet might it serue vs for an excellent testimonie of the maiestie of God and incite vs to giue him praise Eccles 43. For which cause Ecclesiasticus saith Looke vpon the raine-bowe and praise him that made it very beautifull it is in the brightnes thereof It compasseth the heauen about with a glorious circle and the hands of the most high haue bended it For what man is so dull but doth admire the great varietie of so faire colours as appeere in it euen in a substance so fine and subtile that it cannot be perceiued by any corporall sense saue by the sight I know that the philosophers doe teach Of the cause of th◠〈…〉 rainâ—â—bow that as a drop of water which one seeth in the sunne representeth many goodly colours like those in the raine-bowe which is made of a thicke watrie cloud full of drops in the middle region of the aire For euery darke obscure thing is as it were almost blacke as the shadowes doe demonstrate which by reason of their obscuritie seeme to be blacke And when an obscure thing is illuminated if it be bright it passeth in colours according to the abundance of the brightnes Now the cloud is obscure the drops of water are bright for this cause they represent vnto vs colours according to the variety of that light which shineth vpoÌ„ them And forsomuch as the innermost circle of the bow is nerest to the obscure or dark cloud it seemeth coÌ„monly to be blew that in the middle which is more illuminate appeereth greene and the vpper circle which is greatest and most lighted with celestiall brightnes is yellow Forasmuch then as there is a cause of euery thing the Naturalists doe much endeuour themselues to render reasons concerning the diuersities of these colours as Astrologians doe also to argue vpon the diuers predictions of this bowe as presaging sometimes raine sometimes faire weather sometimes winde and sometimes calme and cleere weather Hist nat lib. 2. Yet Plinie saith that it is often seene when it doth not prognosticate any thing and that no heede is taken of it for the time to come But let euery one ascertaine himselfe that it is caused by the beames of the sunne which striking into an hollow cloud are constrained to reuerberate and returne vpwardes toward the sunne And that the diuersitie of colours which are therein represented is made by the mixture of the clouds of the aire and of the fire which are found there togither Moreouer that this bow neuer is but when the sunne is opposit to that cloud and that it exceedeth not the forme of a semicircle also that it appeereth not by night though Aristotle saith that it hath sometimes been then seene But we wil leaue the philosophers to dispute vpon these things and to search the depth of their naturall causes and will conclude this speech and make an end of this day with a point of doctrine concerning the meteors of Christians which is that we must take very good heed not to be of the number of those who boasting of the knowledge of humane sciences haue despised the spirituall and diuine and of whom Saint Peter hath prophecied saying 2. Pet. 3. That there shoulde come in the last daies mockers and contemners of God walking according to their owne lusts which should say Where is the promise
of his comming for since the fathers died all thinges continue alike from the creation Which is as much as if they should say that there is a common and continuall course of nature which hath hitherto continued from the beginning of the world and shall endure for euer without end and without any judgement of God to come Against Atheists For thus prate our idolaters of nature who doe altogither denie the prouidence of God And therefore the blessed apostle doth also adde that they willingly know not that the heauens were of old and that earth that was of the water and the water by the word of God By which things the world that was perished being ouerflowed with waters Likewise saint Peter had before concluded 2. Pet. â— that if God hath not spared the old world but saued Noah the eight person a preacher of righteousnes and brought in the floud vpon the troup of the vngodly it cannot be that the wicked which are borne since into the world may thinke that their condemnation sloweth and that their perdition sleepeth For a thousand yeeres are but as one day and one day is as a thousand yeeres before the Lord. Psal 90. And the long terme that God alloweth to men to preuent his iudgement by repentance and amendment shall not hinder him to execute his iudgement yea by so much the more rigorously by how much the more long time and more vilely they haue abused his stay and patience Let vs then imprint this at this present in our memorie concerning our discourse of the waters sustained and hanged in the aire which haue serued God for so terrible ministers in the execution of his iustice when it pleased him to punish the iniquitie of men and to morrow pursuing our subiect we will speake againe of raines and heauenly waters to the end to consider of the admirable prouidence of God which shineth in them euen as you ASER shall giue vs to vnderstand The end of the sixt day THE SEVENTH DAIES WORKE Of Dewes and Raine Chapter 49. ASER. THe prouidence of God hath so disposed the nature of the aire and of the water that these elements seeme to repaire and maintaine one another For there is a place in the aire where water is as it were conuerted into the nature thereof there is another place againe wherein water returneth into his owne natural kinde sauing that whilest it hangeth and is sustained in the aire it is much more light and subtile then that which runneth in the earth for it retaineth more of the earth How the water ascendeth vp from the earth and changeth nature Although then that water is by nature more heauie then the aire yet doth not the heauines thereof let it from mounting vp from the earth because that by the heate of the sunne which attracteth it and other such like naturall causes by which it may be eleuated into the aire this waightines is taken from it or at least is so diminished that it doth then retaine more of the nature of aire then of water and so doth till such time as it hath ascended and attained to the place which God hath assigned to it in the aire For the heate of the sun doth conuert it first into vapors which are drawne out of the least terrestriall and most subtile parts thereof which approch neerest to the nature of the aire For which cause these vapors are more easily conuerted into aire the which resolueth it selfe againe into water then when such vapors are arriued at the middle region of the aire which is the coldest part thereof as well by reason that it is farther distant from the sunne and from all the other celestiall and aetherian fires then the supreme part thereof is as likewise because it cannot be heated like the lowest part thereof by reuerberation of the sunnes heate which scorcheth the earth Wherefore Moses declaring vnto vs how the Lord made the water mount from the earth and conuerted it into vapors saith The Lord God had not caused it to raine vpon the earth Genes 2. neither was there a man to til the ground but a mist or vapor went vp from the earth and watered all the earth For we behold euery day how that after the aire hath beene refreshed by the coolenes of the night the dew falleth in the morning vpon the earth and if the colde hath beene great it is turned into miste white hoarie-frost from which proceed the frosts that doe oftentimes spoile vines and trees which are most tender in colde weather when their branches are yet feeble and they begin to budde And let vs note that there are two sorts of vapors Of two sorts of vapors which make dew and raine which do commonly rise from the terrestriall towards the celestiall region the one is fat and thicke whereof the dewe is made and the other is subtile and thinne which turneth into raine Cornefields are fatned by the dewe which by reason of the thicknes thereof mounteth not very high and if that any part of it be better concocted as doth happen ordinarily in hot countries it resteth condensate through colde vpon the plants and is called Manna Of this it is that Pliny speaketh when he saith Hist nat lib. 11. that the great starres being risen in sommer and specially the most excellent or else when the raine-bowe is ouer the earth and that it raine not but onely make a small dewe which is heated by the sunne-beames that which then falleth is not home but is an heauenly gift and singular medicine for the eies for vlcers and for those accidents which may happen in the nauell and interior parts Which Manna is plentifully gathered in Targa a wildernes of Libya neere to the citie Agades especially when the nights are very faire partly for that they are colder then the day and partly for that the dewes cannot conuert themselues into the substance of clouds because as I said it is condensate by the cold Whereupon ensueth that when the raine is ingendred of vapors the colde cannot be great for then such vapors are attracted by the heate and are presently after thickned by the colde in the region of the aire And therefore there is but little Manna founde when the night is cloudie and lesse when it is rainie for then it melteth Behold then how the fattest part of vapors turneth into dew that which mounteth vp is condensate through colde in the subtile aire Why it raineth but little in summer and diuersly in other seasons and is afterwardes conuerted into raine And bicause that in sommer the heate doth drie vp very neere so much as it attracteth in vapors there is therefore verie seldome little raine therein for considering that in our countries the heate is weake it attracteth by little and little the vapors which the drinesse doth oftentimes consume before they can be conuerted into raine Wherefore it commeth to passe that if it
creator of heauen earth causeth so many fruits to grow in this round-masse through the distillations of raine and through the heate of the Sunne wee hold in great admiration this woorthie naturall Alchimie which he hath set before our eies in the nature by him created Of true naturall Alchymie For all this world is to him as a fornace and a limbeck wherein he maketh so many goodlie and profitable distillations that it is altogither impossible to expresse in words their woorth and valew The earth is this fornace and all the plants and trees so many limbecks And if we haue in such estimation the distillations made by men following some imitation of nature this surely is a kinde of Alchymy very woorthie of great reputation and woonder For let vs consider onely what it is that hee extracteth out of a vine stocke and the branches There is no doubt but that this is a plant of no great shew so that many haue doubted whether it might rightfully be counted amongst trees for besides that it is crooked it is so weak that it cannot stand vpright nor sustaine not onely the branches thereof but euen it selfe if it be not alwaies propped at leastwise when it riseth neuer so little high And yet this is a marueilous and very rare Limbeck wherein God conuerteth water into wine and maketh it to distill out The like may we saie of Oliue-trees figge-trees and many other fruite-trees sauing that they make more shew and retaine more of the nature of a tree then the vine doth For all the excellent liquors and fruits which we draw out of these plants and all others are principally caused by the heat of the sunne and by the waterings of raine from heauen which by this meanes seemeth to change nature and put on diuers formes And yet this sun by meanes of whom as by a fire God performeth so many sundry and admirable conuersions and distillations hath not his face smeared with coles to kindle and maintaine his fire nor yet his faire eie soiled therewith or with any smoke So then I hold them very wise who profite in the contemplation of this Alchymie and emploie their time and cunning therein as husbandmen do who till the earth attending in good hope after their trauell the blessing which is promised them of God as he also doth daily send vpon the earth by the effects of the sunne moone stars and planets of the aire clouds raine and such other meanes which it pleaseth him to vse for the same purpose Psal 127. For we may fitly say with Salomon that without this blessing it is in vaine for those which eate the bread of their trauel Deut. 11. to rise earely to goe late to bed For it is he that hath promised the first and the latter raine aswell for the time to sowe in as for to ripen and gather fruits in vsing for this purpose according to the testimonie of the prophet great cloudes in forme of chariots Psal 18. 104. whereupon being borne on the winges of the winde he maketh the windes his messengers And sith we are in this talke before we deale with any other subiect let vs acquit our selues of that which we haue promised to entreat in a particular discourse concerning the windes the charge whereof ARAM I impose vpon you Of the windes and of their kindes and names and of the testimonies which we haue in them of the power and maiestie of God Chapter 51. ARAM. Hist nat lib. 2. ACcording to the testimonie of Plinie there are more then twentie Greeke authors and manie other ancients who haue entreated of the nature of the winds But to know from whence they proceeded the difficulties doubts are great vncertaine amongst them and amongst all the philosophers Yet that is the onely truth which the diuine poet teacheth vs saying Psal 135. That the Lord draweth the windes out of his treasures Aristotle in his Meteors maintaineth that the windes are produced by the heate of the sunne which it seemeth that the author of the naturall historie doth contradict when he saith that there are certaine caues wherein the windes are ordinarily engendred as may be seene in a deepe pit which is in the coastes of Dalmatia at Senta wherein if one cast any thing how light soeuer it be there issueth sodainelie out a whirle-winde although the weather be neuer so calme and faire And in many obscure places in houses one shall commonly feele a certaine small winde as if it were enclosed therein But we must note that there is much difference betwixt these particularities or small puffes caused by exhalations which proceed out of the earth and that which is properly named the winde For they are not felt in one place onely but haue their course generally through all the earth and their meanes limited therein to exercise their power Diuers opinions concerning the generation of windes And therefore whether the winde be engendred by continual motion of the heauen or by the crosse motions of the planets which goe contrarie to that of the firmament or else that the winde be an aire driuen by the sundry turnings of the spheres and by the multiplicitie of the beames of the celestiall signes or else that it proceed from stars particularly appointed to ingender it or from the fixed starres for all these opinions are found amongst Philosophers yet neuerthelesse we see by experience that the winde is subiect to the rules and lawes of nature that it hath his determinate course although mans wit cannot pierce to sound the reason of this secret But for the names and species of these windes they haue amplie entreated thereof True it is that the ancients made mention but of fower windes which they comprised vnder the fower parts of the world And then the naturall Philosophers appointed twelue giuing them names taken partly from the regions from which they proceeded and partly from the effects and qualities which they cause vpon the earth But the Hydrographers and marriners account sixteene Of the names and kindes of the windes To haue the vnderstanding of which wee must note that euery horizon is diuided into fower quarters by two right lines which crosse in the center thereof the one of which is correspondent to the Meridian circle and the other to the verticall circle which diuideth the same Meridian at right angles which lines demonstrate the fower principall parts of the earth that is the East West North and South part of which proceed the fower principall windes to wit out of the Septentrionall part the North winde from the Meridionall the south from the Orientall the East and from the Occidentall the West Betweene which are other middle and notable windes whose names are compounded of those of the fower foresaide windes and are therefore called North-east North-west South-east and South-west Then againe each distinction of these eight windes is consequently diuided into two equall parts
euery part from the highest heauen to the lowest center of this terrestriall masse Looke then AMANA what birds you hold most woorthie to haue place in your discourse Of the Estridge of the Peacocke of the Cocke and of other foules Chap. 54. AMANA AS we haue heeretofore heard of a birde that neuer abideth vpon the earth so contrariwise the Estridge doth alwaies staie vpon the earth Of the Estridge neuer mounting aloft to take the aire This is as bigge a birde as any other is common in Africa in Aethiopia It hath a long necke like a camell the beake eies and head like to a goose but that they are much greater their wings taile haue feathers of diuers colours skie-coloured white red blacke and greene and there is no birde which hath such faire plumes of which those fethers are made wherewith men of warre adorne their helmets The Estridges passe horses in swiftnes being herein aided with the wings which Nature hath bestowed vpon them although they fly not at al neither rise from the ground but run with their wings spread They haue clouen feete like an hart with which men say they vse to take vp and cast stones at those which chase them when they flie It is also said that they swallow and digest iron which commeth to passe through the vehement heat and thicknes of their belly Some also haue reported that the Estridge hatcheth her egges with her eies but the truth is that she onely watcheth them because that her yoong ones are brought foorth by the heat of the sunne The manner of taking this birde is verie easie for when he is wearie of running he is of so foolish a nature that he thinketh himselfe closely hidden when he is onely in the shade of some tree or shrub so that it is then easie to approch him so neere as the pursuer will desire Of the peacock But let vs speake of the birde which for the beautie and sense which it hath doth merit the chiefe degree amongst the greater sort of birdes to wit the Peacocke For when he knowes that men esteeme him then turneth he round to shew his colours shining like pretious stones and sets them directly against the sun to giue them a better lustre And he assayeth also to doe so with his taile spreading it round and shewing those colours which seeme fairest in the shade drawing all the eies thereof abroad as if he knew best how to make himselfe most noted Also when he hath lost his taile as he doth euery yeere at the fal of the leafe he hideth himself as if he mourned til the next spring when his taile groweth againe It is maruellous that this part of the peacocke is so filled with eies being so long thick of feathers of sundrie colors so splendāt yet neither the colour of white nor of black this being of it selfe sad and that obscuring all colours are found in the taile of this birde Which bird liueth ordinarily fiue and twentie yeeres and at three yeeres he beginneth to shoote the sundrie colours which he hath in his feathers and knoweth his beautie and seemeth to reioyce that men do maruell at his taile when they see it and therefore he will hold it vp be he neuer so wearie Of the Cock. Next to the proude nature of the peacocke that loftie birde seemeth to resemble a Sentinell which Nature hath appointed to interrupt mens sleepe and call them to worke that is the Cocke For wheresoeuer he is he will be master and commaund all the rest of the foules And if there bee two togither then must this rule remaine to the strongest and he must get it by those weapons which Nature hath placed in his legs wherein they put such trust that the issue of their combate doth oftentimes fall out with the death of the one or other And he which remaineth victor makes signe of his conquest by his crowing sounding himselfe his owne tantaraes and the vanquished runnes and hides himselfe This loftie bird marcheth proudly holding vp his neck stiffe and his combe aloft except he be not well And there is no birde which doth oftner cast his eie towards heauen then this for he alwaies beholdeth it holding his taile vp and yet crooked like a sickle so that arming himselfe after this manner he puts the Lion in feare which is the stoutest of all beasts Moreouer the cocke by a secret instinct of nature knoweth the course of the stars and diuideth the day by his crowing from three howers to three howers They roust at sunne set and neuer let the sunne rise without aduertising men for with their crowing which is accompanied with beating of their wings they giue notice of the day And their voice is heard very farre off yea in the night time a mile or more The Romanes honored so much the maiestie of this bird that they iudged of the good or euill lucke of their Augurations by the countenance which he shewed being either pleasant or not at such time as he fed Hens are of the kinde of domesticall birds Of hens renowmed aboue all for the delicatenes of their flesh and goodnes of their egges beeing much better then all other and which are most vsed in meates and medicines They lay at all times except the two first moneths of winter when they commonly rest themselues So is it the first and last bird that layeth and is so fruitfull that there are some will lay sixtie egges together without missing one day Whereupon wee will note that in all yolkes of egges there is a little drop of bloud in the middest which is holden to be the heart of the bird because this member is esteemed to bee first formed in all liuing creatures And indeed this little drop tasteth very salt and stirreth in the egge And for that which particularly concerneth the chicken it is certaine that the bodie thereof is made of the white of the egge for being formed it is nourished by the yolke And so long as it is in the shell it hath the head bigger then all the bodie and the eies which are shut bigger then the head And when it beginneth to growe the white of the egge retireth to the midst and the yolke disperseth it selfe round about And if at the twentith day one take the egge they may heare the chicken peepe within For from that time forward it beginneth to waxe feathered and to get strength and staieth not long in consuming the whole yolke but presently beginneth to open the shell And it is to be noted that as well this as all other foules come out of their shels with their feete forwardes contrarie to other liuing creatures Moreouer the hen is knowne to be good when hir crest is straight and sometimes double and hir feathers blacke and in some places red as also when the clawes of her foote are faire But aboue all there is nothing more woorthie of great admiration then
about it is of a round and circular figure in all parts for as for the mountaines valleies they are insensible in regard of the whole globe of earth The roundnes whereof doth euidently declare it selfe by the shadow thereof which sheweth it selfe in the eclipses of the moone to be round for it could not seeme so if the earth were not also of the same forme Moreouer the diuers and certaine supputation that Astronomers calculate concerning the times of the eclipses of the moone according as the places are more orientall or more occidentall doth manifestly conclude the same round forme so also doth the natural inclination of all the parts of the earth and of the water who stil tend downe declining to a lower place and this common descent of euerie part causeth this round figure The earth is of insensible quantitie Consequently it is to be noted that this earthly frame although it be in it selfe of maruellous greatnes yet is it of verie little and insensible quantitie in regard and comparison not onely of all the firmament but also of the sphere of the sunne the same earth being but as a point in the middest of the whole world which is apparantly demonstrated by the foresaid equalities of the daies and nights and by the obseruations of the courses of the celestiall bodies and chiefly of the sunne taken here below by instruments fit for such effects in such maner as if one were in the center of the world For in a little space that one may passe here vpon the earth proceeding from one place to another the view and disposition of heauen doth change and varie notably And in an open plaine place wherein one may stand vpon the earth or be in the sea they may alwaies discouer the one halfe of heauen All which things declare as we haue said that the earth and the water make a round globe which is but as a point and center in regard of the vniuersall world So much for the situation immobilitie figure That the earth onely meriteth the title of a mother and quantitie of the earth which onely aboue all other elements hath merited the title of a mother by reason of the great good which it affoordeth to all breathing liuing creatures For this gentle mother receiueth vs when we are borne shee nourisheth vs being borne she maintaineth and sustaineth vs being nourished and finally when the other elements refuse and leaue vs she receiueth vs into her bosome and couereth vs hauing as it were a perpetuall care of vs. Moreouer she riseth not vp against man as other creatures doe For the water conuerts it selfe into raine snowe and haile it swelleth in surges and waues and ouerfloweth all with flouds the aire thickeneth and ladeth it selfe with cloudes out of which proceede stormes and tempests and the fire is often cause of strange calamities vpon earth But this gentle and debonaire mother maketh hir selfe as a slaue to serue for all the commodities of man For how many things doe we cause hir to beare by force and how many things doth she bestowe of hir owne goodwill What odours and perfumes what sauours what iuices what and how many sorts of colours With what exchaunge and interest doth shee restore that which is lent hir How many sundry things doth shee nourish for man What quantitie of pretious mettals doth shee conceiue and keepe in hir entrailes for his vse Of two kindes of earth And therefore it seemeth that the earth subsisteth not of one onely kinde and indeede Aristotle diuideth it into two the one fossible which may bee digged and the other transmutable which may change qualitie For the fossible earth it doth alwaies remaine the same and is very earth but the transmutable remaineth not the same in kinde and in view for it conuerteth it selfe into mettall or into iuice or into some other matter But before wee doe proceede vnto the consideration of so many admirable effectes produced by the earth wee may now here beholde that we haue summarily set downe particulars enough wherin we may learne to acknowledge the infinite power wisedome and bountie of God the creator Testimonies of the power of God Isay 6. and how according to the testimonie of the angels all the earth is full of his glorie For first of all is not this a great woonder that the earth which is so huge a masse and the heauiest element of all the rest should be hanged in the aire in the midst of the world being so counterpoised that it sustaineth as one may say all the other elements and that it is inuironed by them and by all the other spheres and celestiall bodies it remaining firme for euer not moouing from the place thereof For where are the columnes and the pillers which beare and sustaine it and vpon what foundation are they founded And therefore it is not without cause â—ob 38. that the Lord saith to Iob minding to cause him to acknowledge his power maiestie where wast thou when I laide the foundations of the earth declare if thou hast vnderstanding who hath laide the measure thereof if thou knowest Or who hath stretched the line ouer it to wit to signe and marke out the foundations thereof whereupon are the foundations thereof set Or who hath laid the corner stone thereof And afterwards he addeth It is turned as clay to fashion Wherein it seemeth that he had reference to that that he created the earth as all this great visible world in round forme because it is the most capable of all formes that may be Behold then the testimonie that God himselfe deliuereth to Iob his seruant of the admirable creation of the earth Psal 104. And to the same purpose the kingly prophet saith that God did forme the earth vpon the bases therof that is to say vpon firme foundations so that it shall neuer mooue But what may we say then to the motions and tremblings of the earth which haue euer been knowne and are ordinarily seene This might seeme repugnant to that which Dauid here speaketh and to that which we haue deliuered concerning the immobilitie and firmenes of the earth And therefore mine aduise is that pursuing this discourse we should consider the causes of such tremblings to the end that we may know how that the earth faileth not to remaine euer firme though such shakings happen in some parts thereof which ACHITOB let vs heare of you Of earth-quakes Chap. 56. ACHITOB. FOrasmuch as the earth is not onely heauie by nature but euen the heauiest of all elements and is heaped vp and compacted togither in the midst of the great vniuersall world as the point and center thereof it therefore followeth that it is immooueable and without any naturall motion For if it had any as the other elements haue it is certaine that it must be downwards But bicause that God hath placed the earth in the midst of all his works towards which all heauy
things tende and descende it cannot descende lower then it is by the nature thereof And therefore bicause it is solide and thicke and not liquide and fluent as the water and the aire it cannot glide as they doe nor remooue out of one place into another if it be not by some violence elsewhere mooued and made to stirre and tremble somewhere as it hath happened through diuers and maruellous earthquakes of which histories and the holy scripture it selfe doe giue euidence We must note then that there are diuers sortes of motions by which the earth is so shaken that it lifteth and casteth some parts sometimes vpwardes sometimes downewards Of diuers sorts of earthquakes And it is long of such motions and tremblings that there haue such masses and heapes beene cast out of it that great isles haue beene newly made as Geographers doe witnesse namely the isle of Rhodes and of Selos It sometimes also happeneth that the motions of the earth bee such that it openeth like a great gulph whereinto some parts thereof are cleane swallowed vp and deuoured togither with the countries and townes scituate therein so that there hath beene no marke left of them no more then as if they had neuer beene And it hath often hapned in such cases that some mountaines haue fallen one against another bicause the earth which was betwixt them hath sunck and beene swallowed cleane vp And then one might say that the prouerb is not euer true which saith that two mountaines neuer meet There is yet another kinde of motion wherein the earth mooueth and shaketh sometimes one way sometimes another way and tottereth like a ship that floateth on the water Which kinde of trembling is most dangerous as also when all the motion runneth one way Then is there yet another motion which philosophers properly call trembling to wit when two motions are opposite one to another as if two rammes should rush one against another And this is least daungerous of all although indeede they bee all very fearefull yet the feare is much greater when the tremblings continue with horrible and fearefull sounds like the bellowing of buls and as if the earth and all nature quaked and groaned beeing sore pressed and forced as is oftentimes seene â— the causes of earthquakes Now for the causes of all these kindes of earthquakes I may well say that there is no point in all naturall philosophie wherein the professors of this science finde themselues more intricately intangled nor wherein they more differ in opinions then in this For the Chaldeans and Astronomers referre the causes of motions and earthquakes to the heauen to the starres and to the planets and many philosophers assigne it to the water And yet those which are of this opinion differ amongst themselues For some suppose that the earth floateth vpon the water like a ship bicause it is enuironed with water according to the naturall order of the disposition of the elements whereby it is diuersly mooued Others doe attribute the cause of earthquakes to those waters onely which are inclosed within the vaines and caues of the earth Some also to the fire and some to the windes shut vp within it and some to the heate chased by the colde which striueth against it and causeth it to search an issue out For as the water vndermineth the earth and those places through which it doth passe euen so may the fire doe and if either of them be so inclosed that they cannot finde an easie issue they striue then to doe it by force and violence So doe the windes and the heate chased by the cold So then if the earth be vndermined it is no maruell if the vpper part sinke and fall downe being swallowed vp as into a gulfe considering that the earth bicause of the heauines thereof tendeth alwaies downward towardes the center thereof which is the midst of it and of all the worlde And if the waters or the fire or the windes inclosed and shut vp in the earth or the contrarie qualities which contend one with another cannot finde a passage or issue their power is so great that they constraine the earth which resisteth them and by forcing it make it to cleaue and open and to remooue and to shake in those places wherein it is forced Concerning all which things one may make a neere coniecture Of the force and violence in artillerie by the force and violence which is seene in ordinance and artillerie For euery one beholdeth what force there is by meanes of fire and of the matter inclosed within to wit powder and of the contrarie qualities wherof it is compounded and of the winde that therein is ingendred not onely to driue out with maruellous violence all the charge that therein is but also many times to burst the peece it selfe if there be any resistance to hinder it that it discharge not quickly or if it be not well made and very strong and well proportioned to the charge We behold also what a winde there issueth out and what noise it maketh and how the noise makes the earth to sound and tremble and oftentimes it happeneth that this onely winde killeth those that stand neere the cannons mouth such is the violence thereof although they be not touched at all with the bullet that it shooteth But wee beholde more cleerely in mines which are made vnder ground the violence of this powder when it is therein inclosed with the fire which is set thereto by traines For there is neither towne nor castle be they neuer so well founded nor any fortresse which is not onely shaken but ouerturned also like as by an horrible earth-quake Wherein we may note how that it hath not beene sufficient for men to counterfeit thunders and lightnings in artillerie but they haue also inuented the meanes to represent the motions and shakings of the earth in such manner as we haue signified There are some philosophers also Earthquakes compared to agues who haue taught that the same reason is in earthquakes as there is in the shaking of mens bodies and that they are like feuers and maladies of the earth which come vnto it through diuers causes saue that they hold not all the bodie thereof as they doe in men but onely some partes of it For they argue that the water is in the earth as the blood which hath his course through the vaines of mans bodie and the winde is as the vitall spirits which passe through the arteries thereof And as there happen diuers stoppings in the bodie which hinder the blood and vitall spirits that they cannot keepe their right course and ordinarie passage whereupon their order is troubled and the bodie pained in such sort that grones ensue and difficultie of breathing shakings and such like accidents So is it with the bodie of the earth when any thing happens to it contrarie to the naturall disposition thereof by the meanes which we haue already heard whether by water by fire
by winde and such like Whereto we will adde also this opinion of those who attribute the cause of such motions and tremblings either to the drinesse of the earth which is the occasion that it cleaueth and chappeth and by this meanes giues open way to the aire and to the windes which penetrate thereinto or else bicause of the older age thereof to which they esteeme all creatures subiect whereupon it happeneth to it as to old buildings which being ruinous and almost rotten doe fall downe in some places of themselues These are the diuers opinions of men vpon this matter wherin if we desire to take a very short and sure way to attaine to the true cause wee must referre it to the wrath and iudgements of God bicause that what causes soeuer the learned can inuent the Eternall sheweth himselfe very powerful The true cause of earthquakes and the profit that wee may reape thereby and to be feared therein considering that he hath disposed all of them and that they all depend vpon him alone And surely this is a worke of the omnipotent woorthie to be woondred at and which may well cause men to mooue and tremble before his maiestie For if he shewe himselfe terrible and fearefull by deluges of water by haile thunder lightning stormes and tempests he doth no lesse by the motions and shakings of the earth which are in regarde thereof as thunders are in the aire For seeing that the earth is as the foot of the world and that it is assigned to men for their habitation whither is it that they may haue recourse if it quake vnder them and faile to sustaine them Whither shall they retire if she will allow them no more dwelling in hir but will spue them out as the scripture saith For if it be hard for them to flie before fire Leuit. 19. and before water and to finde harbour against windes thunders and tempests whither shall they flie if the earth will not receiue nor beare them And what dread may inuade them when sometimes it quaketh in such sort that it openeth and is swallowed vp as into a bottomlesse pitte as it came to passe when it swallowed Corah Dathan and Abiram and their families Nom. 16. Who will not bee astonished when it riseth vp ouerturning all euen the highest mountaines and hardest rockes and mooueth it selfe in such sort that it maketh houses and buildings dance like rammes and sheepe that would one butte at another wherewith many are vtterly destroied Examples of meruailous earth quakes as it happened in the yeere 1531. in the realme of Portugall which was so shaken by an earth-quake that at Lisbone the chiefe citie thereof there were ouerthrown almost twelue hundred houses besides a great number of others which were greatly spoiled This horrible earthquake continued the space of eight daies and gaue verie furious assaults fiue or sixe times a day And in the time of the Emperour Tiberius twelue cities in Asia were quite ruinated in one night by an earth-quake And Iosephus recordeth that by another Lib. 1 de bello Iud. thirtie thousand Iewes died So Iustine recounteth that by another earth-quake many cities were destroyed an hundred and seuentie thousand persons perished in the raigne of Tigranes in Armenia What causes then soeuer there may be in nature of so many terrible euents yet we must alwaies haue recourse to the Author and Gouernour thereof without whom it can performe nothing and he it is Psal 135. that bringeth earth-quakes out of his treasures as he doth the winds either by his commaundement without a meanes or by his ministers ordayned thereto or else by some power infused into things the which may according to his good pleasure display it selfe in effect to denounce his iudgments on men For he it is of whom the prophet speaketh The earth trembled and shaked and the foundations of the mountaines were mooued and quaked 2. Sam. 22. Psal 18. and the foundations of heauen were bowed and trembled because he was angrie Wherefore wee may verie well conclude Isay 66. Matth. 5. Acts. 7. that as God declareth his magnificence and woonderfull glorie in heauen which is assigned to bee his seat as his word teacheth vs and as we haue heretofore amply discoursed so likewise he doth manifest it no lesse in the earth which is his footstoole when he causeth it to shake and remooue as if being supprised with some great strong feuer it shooke trembled before him Iob. 9. And therefore Iob also saith The Eternall is wise in heart and mightie in strength who hath beene fierce against him and hath prospered He remooueth mountaines and they feele not when he ouerthroweth them in his wrath He remooueth the earth out of her place that the pillers thereof do shake Iob. 26. the pillers of heauen tremble and quake at his reproofe But now let vs note that all that which we haue here deliuered disprooueth not the earth to remaine alwaies firme immooueable in it selfe in so much as it mooueth not out of the place which was appointed to it by God neither doth it swerue neuer so little considering that the moouings and tremblings are not vniuersall but particular onely in some places in such sort that the foundations thereof are not any whit altered And if we consider well of these things the Earth will serue no lesse for a preacher vnto vs then the aire and the fire yea then all heauen to denounce vnto vs the soueraigne maiestie of the Almightie ruling aboue all his workes as I hope to morrow we may haue goodly testimonies entreating of the water which is dispersed throughout the earth and afterwards speaking of the excellent commodities and pretious riches that these two elements doe yeeld to men into which matter you ASER shall enter with your dicourse The end of the seuenth day THE EIGHT DAIES WORKE Of the sea and of the waters and of the diuision and distribution of them throughout the earth Chap. 57. ASER. THE holy Scripture doth certifie vs how that in the beginning the earth was couered ouer with water and that it appeered not in any sort but onely vnder the forme of a great deepe till such time as God commaunded the waters to retire into the channels and places which hee had prepared for their aboade So that then the earth was discouered euen so much therof as was needfull for the habitation and nourishment of men and beasts But this soueraigne creator of the Vniuers would not haue the waters to be gathered all into one place and not to haue their course through the earth but prouiding for euerie commoditie for his creatures he ordained that out of the great Ocean sea which is as the great bodie of the waters there should issue diuers armes and members by meanes whereof we haue the Mediterran seas out of which againe proceed many other waters as lakes flouds riuers and brookes For although that all
these waters seeme to haue their Springing out of certaine fountaines which many affirme to be made of the aire yet the verie truth is that their chiefe source is out of the sea which as it is named in Iob is as the wombe out of which all waters both celestiall and terrestriall haue their first originall and do engender repaire themselues continually by the meanes that we haue alreadie heard Why the water is mixed with the earth Now according to the opinion of the Philosophers all reason teacheth vs that this ordinance in nature concerning the distribution of the waters throughout the earth hath beene made of necessitie for the mutuall maintenance of these two elements for so much as the Earth being naturally drie cannot subsist without moisture and contrariwise the flowing water could not haue ought to stay vpon without being propped vp by the earth Wherfore it was necessarie that the earth should giue it place and that it should open all her vaines and conduicts that the water might passe through the same both within vpon it yea and to pierce euen to the highest mountaine tops in which place being pressed with the waight of the earth and also in some place mooued by the aire which driueth it one shall see it issue out in great vehemencie euen as if it were squirted out Whosoeuer then will consider of the whole circuit of the earth shall learne that the moitie of the roundnes thereof is enuironed by the sea which floweth round about it causing the waues thereof to goe and come continually sometimes aloft and sometimes verie low like as if this terrene globe were a bowle cast into the water one part whereof should lye discouered out of it That the water is round and the other couered within it Which water the Philosophers hold to be entirely round hauing the open heauen in euerie part ouer it And this is confirmed by those drops of water which fall vpon the ground or vpon leaues of trees and of herbs which are round If also one fill a vessell top-brim-full of water they may euidently behold that the water riseth and swelleth in the middest making a kinde of round forme In truth by reason that the water is subtile and soft these things are far better comprehended by arguments and concluding reasons wherewith the bookes of the learned are replenished then by the view of the eie Notwithstanding this is verie admirable that if one put neuer so little water into a vessell alreadie brimme-full the vppermost part thereof will shedde ouer and yet if one cast into the same so top-full vessell some heauy thing yea to the waight of twenty pence the water will not spill therefore but will swell onely till such time as it stand much aboue the brimme of the vessell by the rising thereof Moreouer the roundenesse of the water which causeth this doth also make that those which are in the top of a ship do sooner discouer land then those which are in the foredeck or in the sterne thereof so likewise if any shining thing bee fastned to the top of the mast at parting from the port it seemeth that the vessell still goeth downewards till at length the sight of hir will be cleane lost Moreouer how should it bee possible that the ocean sea which enuironeth the earth as being the mother-sea and the receptacle of all the rest doth not run abroad considering there is no banck to with-hold it if it were not of round forme Wherein this is to bee noted that the water of the sea doth in no sort ouerpasse the limits thereof nor doth euer runne but toward the place of the naturall scituation thereof Why the water doth retaine it selfe in it selfe without running abroade Of which the Greeke Philosophers haue rendred an especiall reason by Geometricall propositions and conclusions making demonstration that this water cannot run otherwise what roome or scope soeuer it haue For they say that considering the nature of water is to fall alwaies downeward and that also the sea stretcheth it selfe out so far as it can neuerthelesse according as the declining of the sea can suffer as euery one may see with his eie and by how much the lower it is by so much the more it doth approch to the center of the earth whereupon ensueth that all lynes drawne from that center to the waters neerest to it are shorter then those lines which are drawne from the vppermost waters to the extremity of the sea so that by that meanes the water of the sea doth alwaies decline towards the center from whence it can in no sort fall but doth there retaine it selfe Surely if wee doe neerely consider this maruellous worke of God the sea and waters we shall therein finde goodly mirrors wherein to contemplate his maiestie and greatnes Good christian instructions taken from the waters Ioâ— 38. According as he saith to his seruant Iob Who hath shut vp the sea with doores when it issued and came foorth as out of the wombe When I made the cloudes as a couering thereof and darknes as the swadling bands thereof When I established my commandement vpon it and set barres and doores And said Hitherto shalt thou come but no farther and here shalt thou stay thy proud waues The like is also taught by the Psalmist saying Psas 33. Hee gathereth the waters of the sea together as vpon an heape and layeth vppe the depths in his treasures Which is as much as if hee should say GOD holdeth backe the waters as with a bridle that they may not ouerrunne and couer the earth Wherein we are moreouer to note that the holy Ghost speaketh concerning the sea in this fore-alledged text of Iob and in many other places of scripture as if it had some sense and vnderstanding and that God had caused it to heare his voice and had commanded it as he commandeth men to obey his ordinance although it be a senselesse creature and without life but this is to the end that we may better learne to acknowledge the power prouidence of God ouer all his works For the sea is not onely deafe and depriued of all sense and much more without vnderstanding but also exceeding furious and outragious being mooued by force of windes and tempests in such sort that it often seemeth as if it would ouerrun and swallow vp all the earth with the waues thereof and would rise with the flouds thereof and mount vp to heauen For one may behold how at one time the waues will swell and rise vp like high mountaines and suddenly after wil tumble couch downe like vallies as if the sea would cleaue and diuide it selfe and so discouer the deepe bottome thereof Psal 107. And therefore the kingly prophet hauing diuinely described all things togither with the power that the soueraigne creator hath to raise and to appease such tempests hee exhorteth all men to acknowledge this infinite power of the
forward the floud decreaseth so that the third quarter it is in the same state wherein it was the first quarter Neuerthelesse when the waining moone is halfe round the floud beginneth to rise But when she is in coniunction with the sunne the tide riseth as high as at full moone And when the moone is high and septentrionall the tide is not so vehement as when she is meridionall bicause that being then more neere to the earth she doth the more exercise hir power But many haue indeuoured in this matter to vnderstand Why the ocean doth differ in flowing from other seas why the flowings of the Ocean sea doe reach farther then those of the other Mediterranean seas wherein the ebbings and flowings doe not appeere as in the Ocean Which may be said to proceed because that a thing which is entire hath more power then any part which is separated Also the high sea retayneth in it selfe more of the power of the Moone which worketh vpon it at ease and pleasure beyond all comparison more forcibly then vpon other seas which are narrower and minister lesse meanes to this planet to exercise her rule therein From whence it commeth to passe that lakes and riuers do neuer flow And for the Mediterranean seas they are enclosed about with the earth as in an hauen though there bee some places or some armes of the same seas verie broad Some likewise are verie much subiect to the Moone as the Adriaticke gulfe wherein Venice is builded which ebbeth and floweth twise euerie day like the Ocean And it is to bee noted that such motions are better perceiued on the shore and sea-coasts then in the midst thereof euen as the pulse of the arteries is better knowne in the extremes of the bodie then in the bulk thereof Other causes of the flowing and ebbing of the sea Some also do render this cause of the flowing and ebbing of the sea to wit that though the waters thereof be salt yet were not this sufficient for their conseruation no more then of their neighbor the aire if they had not a continuall motion For we see that sea-water doth presently corrupt beeing in a vessel and not mooued Many also haue noted that in euery reuolution or course of the moone the tyde resteth for three daies long to wit the 7. 8. and 9. day thereof and that when shee is at full all seas do purge themselues by scummes Certainely it is woondrous to see what power this planet hath not onely ouer the waters but also ouer the earth and ouer all liuing creatures Of the power of the moone ouer all creatures Which hath ministred occasion to many Philosophers to suppose that the moone was that quickning-spirit which nourisheth the earth and that also by hir inconstant course approching diuers waies to the inferior bodies shee produced diuers effects sometimes replenishing them and sometimes leauing them void empty Whereof it commeth that all fishes hauing scales and shels do encrease and decrease according to the course of the moone and that all liuing creatures also which haue bloud do feele themselues refreshed when shee renueth It is likewise supposed that the bloud augmenteth or diminisheth in man according as the moone encreaseth or waineth yea that herbes and trees do partake of hir power Aristotle also doth note that those creatures which are readie to die do die onely when the sea ebbeth But in this matter as in all things which do concerne the ebbing and flowing of the Ocean wee must euer haue recourse to the ordinance that the Eternall father of the vniuers hath established in all his creatures according to which they perseuer in obedience to their creator without transgressing one title of his lawes as wee haue a notable example in the sea and in the waters which containe themselues in such admirable sort as in our former speech is declared within their bounds and limits A maruailous inundation of waters in the yeere 1530. And if at any time they ouerflowe as whilome happened in Holland where the water brake through the dams and banks wherewith the countrie is bounded swallowing vp the coast-townes with an incredible losse of men and riches as also at the same time Tiber did so ouerflowe at Rome that it rose in the fields the height of a lance ruinating in fower and twenty howers many bridges and stately edifices the endommagement whereof comprising therein the mooueable goodes lost was esteemed to amount to the value of three millions of golde there being aboue three thousand persons choaked and drowned Such deluges I say doe not come to passe what natural causes soeuer the learned force themselues to render without the expresse command and ordinance of God who will after this sort vse the water to take vengeance vpon those whom he pleaseth to wash from off the face of the earth as being vnwoorthie to dwell longer thereupon And so he himselfe hath prophesied vnto vs saying Luke 21. There shall bee signes in the sunne and in the moone and in the starres and vpon the earth trouble among the nations with perplexitie the sea and waters shall roare Adding afterwards For the powers of heauen shall be shaken Moreouer we may say that although the celestiall bodies haue no more life sense and vnderstanding then the earth and the sea yet neuertheles they haue as it were a secret feeling by nature of the maiestie of God their creator who causeth them to rise vp against men for their rebellion and wickednes Surely when we see them rise and stand vp against men to worke them euill in stead of doing them good contrarie to the end of their first creation we must consider of them as if they enuied and denied to serue men any more which turne disloyall ingratefull and peruerse towards him from whom their totall good proceedeth As the sunne did witnes when it waxed darke at the death of our Redeemer depriuing those of his light which were risen vp against the eternal Sonne of God that had created them For it is certaine that the creatures do grone and trauell altogither as the scripture saith till such time as Iesus Christ shall come in iudgement Rom. 8. Acts. 3. which is the day of the restitution and restoring of all things foretold by the prophets And which day being neere it is no maruell if God doe daily shew his particular iudgements vpon men to put them in minde of this generall and vniuersall iudgement whereto heauen earth the sea and all creatures shall come togither and therefore also he giueth them so many signes of his wrath by thunders tempests deluges and inundations of water as we haue made mention But let vs proceed to contemplate his other works and great woonders which abound euery where both in the earth and in the sea in other terrestriall waters by which very many commodities do redound to men thorough the prouidence of God And first we will speake of the
but by force Againe how could men exercise the workes of charitie amongst themselues which workes are very much commended vnto them by God to be done towards their neighbors if euery one could at his pleasure excell his companion As then God hath placed and disposed sundry members in one bodie and yet hath not appointed them one selfesame office but to euery one his owne so hath it pleased him to diuide and distribute his goodnes gifts and graces amongst men to the end that they may one serue another as members of one and the same bodie which can not consist without the reciprocall helpe of all So likewise hath he established the sundrie regions of the earth enriching euerie one of them with certaine particular commodities which do often constraine men to helpe and succour one another and to liue in peace without which they woulde like madde beasts ouer-runne and destroy each other as we wretches doe finde true especially in time of warre But wee may well note vpon this point that although the most mightie do by their hate enimities dissensions reuengements and warres contend oftentimes with all their power to stop and hinder the trafficke dealings and transportations of merchandize from one countrey and out of one place to another especially of foode and victuals yet whatsoeuer they may or can doe bee they kings princes or Emperors they cannot for all that make such a stoppe That nothing can stop the intercourse of men but that they will alwaies passe and scape by some meanes maugre all their powers Wherein wee must acknowledge that seeing God hath ordained that those which beare his image shoulde haue communication one with another for the causes aforesaide and that chiefly by the aide of nauigation it is a great presumption in mighty men to oppose themselues against the order of the Omnipotent and against that communion of benefits which hee will haue to bee maintained amongst men Whom he can constraine to obserue his ordinances euen through their owne couetousnes when their charitie faileth making them to despise all dangers that they may supply where neede is though they be forbidden vpon paine of death For such restraint by commandement is so farre from hindring their couetousnes that it doth more inflame it bicause they expect greater gaine then if there were mutual libertie and therefore they cause more ware secretly to passe and by that meanes they put all to hazard yea they would rather open a way vnder ground like moles or else would flie in the aire like birds then leaue such trading so woonderfull is God in all his works and in the gouernment of all nature For when he pleaseth he serueth his owne turne with the affections and euill works of men yea drawing good out of their euill euen against their owne wils And therefore we may very well affirme that seeing God will haue men trafficke togither it cannot choose howsoeuer they enterprise to the contrarie but that this order must be continued For this cause likewise it was not the will of the creator that the waters should so gather themselues into one place that they might not run through the earth but hee ordained that out of the great Ocean which is like the great bodie of the waters and like the wombe out of which they doe all first spring and wherein they are engendred and whereby they are repaired for euer there should issue diuers armes and members by meanes whereof wee haue the Mediterranean seas lakes floods riuers and brookes So also in this distribution and by the meanes of nauigation God hath giuen vs many other meanes to the ende we might behold with our eies many testimonies of his prouidence engrauen in euery part of the vniuers by the disposition of the works of his almightie hand as they who saile vpon the waters are constrained to acknowledge Of the direction that marriners haue by the stars For as he hath appointed the watrie element to serue men to nauigate therin so hath he established the heauē ordained the stars enchased therin to direct them in the midst of the great gulfs deeps of the sea For when the ships are entred very farre into it they that be therein doe cleane lose the sight of lande so that they cannot iudge by the consideration thereof in what place they are nor vpon what side neither to what place they may bend their course to finde a conuenient port but they must take their directions from heauen And for this cause also though that the heauen be in perpetuall motion and that all the planets and starres doe follow it rising and setting in such sort as they doe not alwaies appeere to men yet there are some of another condition For neere to the place which Astronomers take for the pole there are certaine starres which haue their motion and course so disposed that they are alwaies seene at sea being neuer hidden like the rest and among these that is one which is called the Pole-starre which is neuer seene to remooue except a very little out of one place so that it seemeth the whole heauen turneth about this starre As we also maintaine that it hath the like place correspondent thereto directly ouer against it in the other part of heauen with a like appellation of name as we haue heretofore declared in our discourses concerning the celestiall bodies excepting the difference which is put betweene these two poles taken from their opposite situation in heauen and from the starres which are next vnto them which also haue their course and motion like the rest but doe onely differ in this that rising and setting are not attributed vnto them bicause they may be alwaies seen when the spheres are discerned For when the skie is couered with clouds marriners doe finde themselues very much hindred and troubled For then they prooue that which Iob saith concerning the workes of God to wit Iob. 9. that hee commandeth the sunne and it riseth not and he closeth vp the starres as vnder a signet And that he maketh the starre Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the Climates of the south doing great things and vnsearchable yea maruellous things without number Whereupon we may note that here is especiall mention made of the septentrionall starres as well bicause that they are more seene then the rest as also bicause it is their propertie to bring and to procure raine and tempests if we may credite Astrologers which cause that the heauen cannot be seene Of Charles hi◠waine And bicause that some of these starres are so disposed that they seeme to represent the figure of a chariot with fower wheeles and they are very much glistering aboue others they are commonly called by the name of Charles-waine bicause also they haue three other very bright starres neere to them placed in such order as if they were cart-horses or oxen Indeede some haue called them the Beare seeing them so cōioined togither taking the foure quarters
apart as if they were the fower quarters of a Beare and the other three as the taile thereof There are some also who haue named them the Dragon or Serpent bicause that being considered togither they might seeme to represent some such forme But howsoeuer it is certaine that pilots of gallies and ships doe direct and guide themselues chiefly by these northren starres as being most seene and best knowne by men and bicause they doe almost alwaies remaine in one place like the pole or else doe mooue so little that they are neuer out of sight especially that constellation which is properly designed by name of the Beare is called the greater Beare in comparison of a lesse called the lesser Beare And for which cause also the pole which is in this region and part of heauen is called Arcticke which is to say of the Beare for Arctos in Greeke signifieth a Beare Now hereby we farther learne that it is very requisite for marriners and chiefly for masters and gouernors of gallies and ships to be Astronomers at leastwise so much as to know the foresaid starres and to know how to iudge of the eleuation of the pole and of the degrees and the distances of euery land and countrie according to the eleuation For it is by it that not onely marriners but Geometricians and Geographers also doe take their measures and dimensions to part and measure out the earth But wee haue staied long ynough in this matter now we will consider how God hath diuided and limited out this terrestriall globe and the sundry countries and regions that are therein by the sea and separation of the water as ASER you can discourse vnto vs. Of the diuision of lands and countries amongst men by the waters and of the limits which are appointed them for the bounds of their habitations Chap. 61. ASER. STrabo a man as well seene in good letters as anie other that hath written of Geographie saith That the earth is enuironed about by the Ocean and therfore he parteth it into foure very great gulfes Diuision of the Ocean into fowre gulfes the first wherof turneth towards the north is called the Caspian or Hircanian sea the second and third is that of Arabia and the gulfe of Ormuz or the Persian sea turning towards the south and the fourth being greatest of all the rest is that whereinto the Ocean entreth at the streight of Gibraltar which some call the pillers of Hercules which gulfe is called by the name of the Mediterran or Middle-earth-sea bicause it is compassed round about with land And the same Mediterran sea runneth enlarging it selfe making many bayes gulfs somtimes washing the coast of Europe and sometimes that of Africa and so it extendeth towards the east and receiueth diuers names according to the places through which it passeth For the first coast by which it runneth is called Mauritania Tingitana which is that of Tremissen Of the mediterranean seas then doth it take the name of Mauritania Caesariensis towards Algier and Tunis then is it named the Africke-sea towards Tripoly in Barbarie then passing the quicke sandes it is the Lybian sea and entring vpon the Marmarica and Cyrenaica it glideth with that name till it water Egypt and then it is saide to be the Egyptian sea And all this coast is from the east to the west till you arriue at the gulfe of Larissa beyond Damiata and at the vttermost of the desarts of the south-east where Asia and Africa do separate From which port being in Palestina you must turne north and north-east as if you would take your course by the west and then this sea which was called the Syriack-sea bicause of all Syria to Tripolis changeth name and is called the Egean sea till you come to Galli-polis or Helespont making all this way diuers baies and gulfes and vnder this name it coasteth Thracia and the lands which abutte vpon Macedonia and Morea till you come to Albania and there it beginneth to be called the Adriatick sea then doubling towards the south it floweth by the countrey of Calabria to the towne of Rhegium vnder the name of the Ionick sea and passing betweene Sicilie and Italy in stead of the old name Charybdis it is called the Tyrrhene sea and from thence it runneth towards the coast of Genoa by name of the Ligustick sea which diuideth and separateth France from Italy being nominated the French sea then to end the course and finish the compasse it approcheth the isles of Maiorca Minorca being called the Balearick sea And proceeding farther it runneth to the streight of Barbarie bearing name the Iberian sea where it returneth to the first point from whence we said it first parted to wit at the streight of Gibraltar which is the entrance of one sea into another Now in this briefe discourse vpon which Cosmogrophers haue written many great volumes we haue verie goodly matter to consider vpon not without much woonder of the prouidence of God in that it hath pleased him to diuide part and limit out the earth Things to bee considered of by the diuision of lands by the waters Acts. 17. and the sundry countries and nations that are therein by the sea and by the bosomes gulfes and armes thereof For as it is written God hath made of one bloud all mankinde to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath assigned the times which were ordained before and the bounds of their habitation Which is as much to say that as men haue not made nor created themselues but haue beene created by the Eternall so are they borne where he pleaseth hauing assigned them a place vpon the earth not at their choise but at his pleasure And therefore also he establisheth their habitation or changeth it according to his good will either keeping them within the countrey in which they were borne or else driuing them out and bringing them into strange lands as we haue verie euident examples throughout all the holy Historie where mention is made of the children of Israel For though the Scripture doth deliuer vs no testimonie of the prouidence of God so speciall towards other nations as it assureth vs to haue beene towards the people of Israel yet we must neuerthelesse beleeue that there is not any one man that dwelleth vpon the earth to whom the Lord hath not by his prouidence assigned the place of his habitation But he would giue an example and more certainty in his people of that which he ordinarily doth towards all nations although hee doth it not so openly nor with so great fauour and grace as is declared in those whom he accounteth for his children Dan. 2. And therefore the prophet saith That it is God who changeth the times and seasons he taketh away kings he setteth vp kings bicause he giueth and taketh away kingdomes and he augmenteth cutteth off and altereth the limits of them as he pleaseth Whereby we also learne that we must
not attribute either to the prudence and wisedome of any one or yet to the force and power or to the weapons or armies of men the changes which we daily see in the state of the most mighty but to the onely ordinance and disposition of God by which such alterations come to passe according as the soueraigne iudge knoweth to bee expedient and iust for the chastisement and punishing of men by one another or else to shew himselfe benigne and fauorable towards them For which cause the scripture saith that the Lord vsing as his instrument Senacherib the tyrant of Assyria to chastise many people and nations Isay 10. he calleth him the rodde and scourge of his wrath and doth greatly reprehend him by Isay for that he attributed to himselfe the glory of those victories which he had giuen him not bicause of his vertues considering he was a fierce and cruell king but bicause God woulde vse him against those who deserued to be chastised by the hands of such a tyrant and murtherer If then we consider as behooueth vs vpon that which we haue here summarily touched we shall finde therein excellent doctrine for all kings princes and people and for all men as well in generall as in particular to the end to induce them That euery one must containe himselfe within the limits of his habitation that they may containe themselues within the inclosure of those confines wherein God hath placed them For as he is cursed in the lawe which passeth the bounds of his neighbors possession so must we not doubt but that they are subiect to the same curse who cannot containe themselues within the bounds of those countries Deut. 27. in which God hath confined them bestowing vpon them power signories and habitation therein For from whence proceede the greatest dissensions and cruellest wars but from the ambition and auarice of men which will one vsurpe aboue another that which appertaineth not vnto them and by such meanes doe out-passe their limits whereas if euery one would content himselfe with that part and portion of land which the creator thereof hath bestowed vpon him who doubteth but that men should liue in much more peace As then God through his prouidence would constraine them by necessitie and neede which they haue one of another to trafficke and communicate togither in libertie and mutuall securitie by that meanes to receiue out of one countrie into another those things which faile therein and abound elsewhere and for the causes by vs heretofore deliuered so it hath pleased him to set mightie and strong bounds and limits against their ambition and auarice especially of kings princes and great men For we see how he hath diuided and separated one countrie from another and the diuers regions and kingdomes of the earth not onely by meanes of seas lakes and great riuers but also by craggie high and vnpassable mountaines which as the kingly prophet witnesseth he hath established by his power Psal 65. that by this meanes men might be cōfined within the bounds of the habitation assigned by the Eternall to euery people in such sort as he hath inclosed the waters within their places to the course which he hath ordained them Against the ambition and auarice of men hauing bounded them with hils and rocks And yet there are no boundes so difficult to passe which may bridle and restraine the ambition and insatiable desire of men within any limits but that they will passe ouer the deepest the longest the amplest and broadest waters and the highest and steepest mountaines in the world so that there are no places so inaccessible through which they will not cut a passage one to ouer-run another by great outrage and violence Wherein surely they euidently declare that they are much more furious then the sea how outragious and rough soeuer it bee seeing they can in no wise containe themselues within their limits as the waters doe which also maketh them more vnreasonable then brute beasts For although there be many vnruly and furious horses in one stable yet each of them will commonly bee staied with an halter made but of a little coard or leather and will be kept by a little bar of wood from striking running ouer one another so that one onely stable will serue them all But men doe to the contrarie shew themselues to be such furious and contentious beastes that the whole world cannot suffice them For there is neither riuer sea lake nor mountaine which can be a barre sufficient to withhold them from forcing and rauaging one another destroying themselues by horrible massacres and cruell warres Which no doubt commeth vnto them especially through want of acknowledging and considering vpon the prouidence of God by which he hath appointed bounds to their habitation ambition and auarice as we haue said and for that they will not containe themselues within them obeying the ordinance of their creator But we haue said ynough concerning this subiect Let vs now discourse vpon those commodities which come to men and to all creatures by the course of the waters thorough the earth Which AMANA shall be the substance of your speech Of the commodities which are incident to men and to all creatures by the course of the waters through the earth Chap. 62. AMANA IF men doe but slenderly acknowledge the prouidence of God in the limits of their habitation which hee hath appointed as well by meanes of mountaines as by waters as we haue heard in the precedent speech they doe also make but small stay in the consideration of those great commodities which he giueth and sendeth continually to them by means of them of al the earth For as he watereth this fruitfull mother by dew raine from heauen as hath beene heretofore expressed so doth he moisten it by meanes of fountaines floods and riuers which doe run through it Whereupon we must note that the life of all corporall creatures doth principally consist in heate and that this heate cannot be preserued and maintained without moisture whereby it is nourished euen as the flame of the snuffe or match of a candle or lampe is nourished and maintained by the fat and humor which is therein Therefore as God hath placed the sunne in heauen like a great fountaine of heate and a great furnace of fire for to be distributed and disposed into all partes of the world so hath hee established the sea here belowe in the earth as a great and perpetuall fountaine conuenient for the nourishment and conseruation of this heate which is communicated to the earth and to all the creatures that are therein And therefore also this sea spreadeth it selfe into diuers places by the meanes which haue beene declared so that the courses of the waters in the earth are like the vaines in a mans bodie Goodly similitudes of the course of the waters and of the vaines which are in the body For euen as the soueraigne Creator hath placed
the liuer in the bodies of liuing creatures which is as the fountaine of blood needefull for all the bodie to giue life thereto and then hath made vaines like riuers to disperse and distribute this blood to euerie member disposing them in such sort as there is not any part but doth by meanes of these vaines receiue as much blood as is needefull for the nourishment and preseruation of the life thereof so likewise he hath ordayned heere below in earth the sea and springs of waters which he afterwards disposeth into euerie place by meanes of fountaines floods and riuers who are as the vaines through which the water that is as the blood of the earth is conueyed and communicated that it may be moistned to nourish all manner of fruits which God hath commaunded it to beare for the nouriture both of men and beasts Wherefore as in one bodie there are many veines some greater larger and longer and some lesser narrower and shorter which neuerthelesse do all answere to one selfe same source and fountaine and then doe diuide themselues into sundrie branches so the earth hath her floods riuers and streames some great others small which haue all their common springs and doe oftentimes ioine themselues together or diuide themselues into diuers branches and armes in such sort as the earth is moistened by them so much as is needfull in euerie part thereof Moreouer as it is watred to nourish the fruits so men and other liuing creatures do thereby receiue their beuerage necessarie for the preseruation of their life Of pleasure mixed with profit in the works of God But amongst all these things we are to consider that God the most-good hath not onely prouided by meanes of them for the necessities of his creatures but euen for their honest pleasures so that it hath pleased him to conioyne an excellent beawtie with profit and vtilitie For how goodly a thing is it to behold the fruitfull islands in midst of the sea the cleere and sweete bubling springs and gentle riuers and floods issuing out of rockes and caues of the earth which tumble downe the mountaines flow through the vallies and glide along the plaines through forrests fields and medowes being decked with many sundrie kinds of branched trees that are planted aside from inhabitants in middest of which infinite little birdes flie vp and downe tuning their voices to sing in sweete melodie and naturall musick What vnspeakable pleasure befalleth to all creatures especially to man to liue amongst such abounding beawties And who will not also admire the great varietie which is in the disposition and distinction that wee behold in the earth by the mountaines rocks valleies plaines fields vineyards medowes woods and forrests especially if we consider the fruits and profits which redound to men thereby besides the gallant diuersitie of infinite delectable pastures beawtified in all sorts For there is not one foote of earth which may not be said to serue to some good vse no not in most desert places Some places are fit for fields and champion grounds others for pastures some for vineyards other for fruitfull orchards and others for high and well growne trees fit for building timber or for fire-wood to the ende that men may helpe themselues therewith in all their needfull vses for firing Some places also are particularly commodious for cattell to graze in by which great gaine and pleasure is receiued And for deserts mountaines and forrests they are the proper retyring places for wilde beasts by which likewise men do not only receiue profit but verie great delectation also and healthfull exercise in hunting of them and which is more such places are verie commodious for houshold cattell which do there feed in euerie place to maruellous profit But let vs note that all these properties and profits should not be found in the earth if it were not conioyned with the water by the course thereof thorough euerie part of it Which water likewise doth cause many and vnspeakable profits that redound to men by fish which remaine not onely in the sea but also in lakes ponds and riuers being of so sundrie kindes and natures that it is not possible to number them In which if the prouidence of God be most admirable Commodities that the waters do bring in fishes and what is to bee admired therein it is especially to be obserued in the sea For how many sorts of fishes are there great little and of meane quantitie and how manie sundrie formes and what diuersitie of Nature I beleeue verily that whosoeuer should vndertake to number them by euerie kinde and particularly should be almost as much troubled as if he would purpose to emptie the Ocean But though there be not any little creature in the sea wherein God doth not declare himselfe and shew himselfe great and admirable yet doth he chiefly manifest himselfe so to be in two things The first is in the hugenes and power of the great fishes which he hath created as whales and such like which seeme to be rather sea-monsters then fishes there being no beast in all the earth so great and strong for there are some that seeme a farre off to be islands or mountaines rather then fishes And the other most wonderfull thing is that the Creator hath set such a correspondencie in many points betwixt the fishes and beasts of the earth that it seemeth he would represent a great part of the one by the other So we see also that many names of earthly beasts are giuen to many fishes because of the similitude and likenes which they haue together in figure and in nature yea it seemeth that God would represent in the fishes of the sea almost all the other creatures which are in the rest of the world For there are some which be called Stars because they are like that shape according to which men commonly paint the starres Moreouer how many are there which beare the shape of earthly creatures yea of many instruments made by men Of the fish called the cock For amongst others there is a fish called the Cocke which is also named by fishers in some countries the Ioyner because it hath almost as much diuersitie of bones and gristles as a Ioyner hath of tooles the forme of which they also represent But if we speake of the sundrie fashions of fishes and of their colours scales heads skins fins and of their vnderstanding industrie and chase and of their shels and abiding places and of their natures and infinite properties who should not haue iust cause to woonder Moreouer haue not men forged many fashions of weapons the forme of which they haue taken from diuers fishes What shall we also say of the finnes and little wings which God hath giuen them to direct them and to hold them vp in the sea and in other waters like birds in the aire and as ships are rowed and guided by oares and the rudder Seemeth it not that God hath created them
like watrie birdes to whom he hath giuen wings agreeable to the element for to sustaine themselues with and fit for their nature as he hath done to the fowles of the aire Genes 1. We also read in Genesis that the Lord did make in one day the birds and fishes and euerie flying thing For as the aire hath more agreement with the water then with the earth and approcheth neerer to the nature thereof so is there more answerablenes betweene the creatures which liue conuerse in these two elements then is between thē the beasts of the earth And therefore we see that the seed of both kindes is multiplied by their egs And we must also note that forasmuch as men can receiue no great fruit nor much profit by fish except in their victuals or in some medicine or such like vse which is not so cōmon as ordinarie nourishment God by his prouidence blessing hath made them so fruitfull that they multiplie and increase woondrously as experience doth euidently manifest vnto vs by the great number of frie or spawne that is found in one only fish Which fertilitie we must beleeue to proceede from the power which the Almightie bestowed vpon them as also vpon all his creatures when he said vnto them Bring foorth fruit and multiplie and fill the waters in the sea and let the foule multiplie in the earth A thing which we must well consider vpon to the end that we may referre to this blessing of God all those commodities which we daily receiue either from those creatures or from the earth it selfe or from the other elements and that we must render him continuall thanks and praises therefore For he hath in no lesse wise blessed all his creatures then the fishes and the birds when by his word he gaue their nature to them in which hee created them and did presently after command them to bring foorth fruit according vnto that nature To the ende then that we may be the more induced to glorifie so great a workeman for the excellencie of his workes which shineth in all creatures let vs now intreat of some fishes most accoūted of by those who haue written of their nature and let vs consider of their singularities and woonders so much onely as the scope of our discourse will permit vs in such sort as we haue declared in our antecedent speeches To you then ARAM I referre the relation concerning this matter Of diuers kindes of fishes namely of the whale of the dolphin of the sea-calfe and others Chapter 63. ARAM. IT is affirmed by all the learned who haue diligently searched out the secrets of nature that the water bringeth foorth both more and greater creatures then the earth doth bicause of the abundance of moisture that is therein And the sea is so ample and so fit to giue nourishment and a gentle and fertile increase of all things by meanes of that generating seede which it attracteth from heauen and the aide of nature ordained by the creator which hath this propertie to produce alwaies something that seemeth new that it is no maruell if there be founde incredible and monstrous things in the water For the seedes of all forms doe so interlace and mix themselues therein as well by the windes as by the agitation of the waues that one may well say as is said commonly that there is nothing on earth which is not in the sea yea The admirable property of nature and that there are many things in it which cannot be found either in the aire or on the earth Now great fishes are chiefly resident vnder the Torrid zone bicause that in the Ocean heate and moisture serue for augmentation Of the whale as saltnes doth for conseruation And in this number is the whale of which the ancients write and whome some moderns call Gibbar bicause that the common whale which some take for the Musculus of Aristotle doth not answere to the description of this which is of incredible hugenes For if we will beleeue histories there haue beene some seene of fower acres of ground in length Plin. lib. 9. hist nat They make an horrible crie and spout out of two holes of a cubite long which they haue neere to their nostrils so much water that they oftentimes drowne ships therewith And of their crests men make faire rods which seeme to be of bone or of horne blacke in colour and like to the hornes of a buffe so flexible that they can hardly be broken they do shine in the sunne as if they were gilded Of euery peece of his crest is a rod made so that in one crest there are many rods Moreouer the bone of his whole head is so great that one might make a ship thereof Of the dolphin And as this kinde of fish is the heauiest and mightiest of all so the dolphin is the swiftest and most ingenious not onely of all watrie creatures but of those of the earth and of the aire For they swim faster then a bird can flie And therefore if this fish were not lowe-mouthed there were no fish could scape him But nature prouiding therefore in putting his mouth vnder his belly hath so restrained him that he can catch nothing but backwards whereby the great swiftnes of such fishes doth euidently appeere Wherefore when the dolphin pressed with hunger pursueth any fish to the bottome and that he hath staied long there alwaies holding winde when he riseth he leapes aboue water with incredible quicknes and force to take breath againe Some haue marked in this kinde of fish that they haue their toong mooueable contrarie to the nature of all other water-creatures Their voice is as when one waileth Their backe is bowed and bendeth outwards they are very louing to men and like well of musicke and indeede they doe not shun men as other fishes doe but come right before ships making a thousand leapes and frisks before them Sometimes also as if they had chalenged the mariners to trie who should goe speediest they take their course along with the ships and doe outstrip them how good winde soeuer they haue Of the seacalf Amongst sea-fish also the sea-calfe is very admirable For he hath vdders and haire and calueth vpon the earth as sheepe bring foorth and is deliuered of the second burthen presently after hir yoong ones He snorts mightily when he sleepeth neere to the shore he bleates and bellowes like a calfe and for that cause beareth the same name The sinnes wherewith he swimmeth serue for feete on ground to goe vpon His hide whereof the Islanders make girdles hath a maruellous propertie for the haire which is thereupon riseth when the sea increaseth falleth when it diminisheth Some holde also that this creature is very capable of discipline easily learning that which is shewed him and that he saluteth people by his lookes and with a certaine noise and shaking that he makes Now let vs speake of the tortoise
which is of a very strange forme There are found of them in the coast of India so great Of Tortoises that one shell onely is sufficient to couer a good pretie shed And in the countrie of the Chelonophagi there are some isles where they ordinarily vse tortoise shels in stead of boates For we must note that there be three sorts of Tortoises the terrestriall which breedeth in forrests marish ones which breed in fens and watry ones which breed in the sea Those then of this last sort haue insteed of feete so many broad gristles they haue no teeth but the nibbe of their beake is passing sharpe and their vnderchappe doth close as iustly within their vpper chap as a boxe doth with the lidde of it Being in the sea they liue vpon shell fishes for their mouth is so strong and hard that they crush them yea euen stones in peeces yet when they come on land they neuer liue but vpon herbes They lay egges like birds so that sometimes one may finde an hundred togither And they neuer hatch them in the water but putting them into an hole which they make in the ground and couering them well they smooth with their shels vnderneath the place wherein they are and hatch in the night time for a whole yeere long Also amongst the fishes which are famous for their strange operatiue power is the Torpedo or crampfish Of the cramp-fish which is a kind of hedgehogge hath many bristles the touch of whom be nummeth the fishers hands by some naturall and secret vertue And there be many kindes of these fishes who haue all of them their shell couered with bristles very thicke which bristles they vse in stead of feete to staie themselues vpon when they mooue and stirre from one place to another Their head and mouth is the lowest part of them and towards the ground And amongst the rest there is one not of the kinde of this bristled crampfish but a shell fish which the Latins call Remora because it hath such power that if it take hold of the bottome of ships it staieth them Yet we cannot read that any such thing hath beene seene since the time of Caius Caligula the emperor whom Historiographers report to haue beene one time staied in his ship by this fish to his great endommagement Of the Triton But the most woonderfull of all fishes is the Triton otherwise called the sea Bugge for hee hath haire vpon his head the nose of a man a broad mouth and the teeth of a wilde beast His hands fingers and nailes are somewhat like those of a man And the rest of his bodie is couered with a thinne shell with a taile vnder his belly in stead of feete like a dolphin Hist nat lib. 9. Pliny reporteth that in the time of the emperor Tyberius the people of Lisbone sent embassadors onely to aduertise him that in the coast of their sea there was a Triton discouered blowing of an horne in a caue Of the Nereides The Nereides also otherwise called Sirens or Mermaides do very neere approch to humane forme sauing that they bee rough and ful of shels in euery part of their body There are some also who testifie that they haue seene a sea-man hauing the entire forme of a man Finally it is a thing that seemeth altogither incredible that the diuersitie of fishes or rather sea-monsters should be such as they affirme who haue written thereof But we may well beleeue that the facilitie of generation and of life in the waters Of the cause of innumerable formes of fishes is cause of so many strange shapes For heate and moisture consist togither in generation and nourishment maintaineth life and in the sea heate and fatte moisture and nutriment do abound It is also to be noted that by reason of motion the pestilence neuer commeth into the water as into the aire for the sea is euer mooued and the aire is often still For which cause all kindes of creatures may easily be preserued in the sea but not so in the aire Againe fishes mooue themselues in the sea easily and without labour which the beasts of the earth do not who therefore are constrained to be hungrie or necessarily to be consumed by too much labour and trauaile Moreouer the sea freezeth not neither yet is too hot like the earth and like other waters except it be and that very seldome in the superficies thereof which is touched by the aire Therefore through so manie commodities and by the mixture of creatures of diuers kindes many monsters are engendred in the sea so that sometimes when it ariseth by meanes of the flowing thereof one may finde vpon the shore of the westerne Ocean to the number of three hundred kindes of monstrous fishes But although it seemeth that nature would expresse in fishes the formes of all terrestriall creatures put in them some resemblance of shape yet in the hinder part all fishes are except some fewe sea-monsters of a peculiar forme agreeable to their nature and do onely resemble other creatures in the forepart For as the rudder directeth and gouerneth a ship in the sterne so the taile of a fish doth guide it in swimming And for this cause the tailes of all fishes almost are forked But this is most certaine that their sorts and kinds surmount the kindes of other creatures in multitude in greatnes in force and in varietie of shapes But our intent is not heere to number them as we haue said for so we should finde matter enough to make a great volume as others haue done Wherefore to finish this argument and this daies speech see ACHITOB if by our discourses of the sea of the waters and of the liuing creatures which are engendred do liue in them you can deliuer any instruction which may be answerable to that end for which we especially continue our treatise concerning this great vniuers Of the image that we haue of the state of this world and of men in the sea and in the fishes thereof Chap. 64. ACHITOB LEt vs not doubt companions but that we haue a goodly image in this daies discourse of the state of this world and of all mans life For first That the world is like a sea what is this world but a sea wherein we nauigate and are in continuall danger Nay is the sea it selfe so variable so inconstant and so outragious For if we haue neuer so little respite peace and rest like as when the sea is calme and quiet presently there arise such violent whirlewindes stormes and furious tempests as it seemeth oftentimes that heauen earth and all the elements conspire and runne togither to worke nor ruine Yea when this wicked world sheweth vs fairest countenance becommeth most calme and gentle and that it feedeth vs with the fattest morsels then is it most false vnto vs and then are we in greatest danger For when we thinke our selues most sure therein then are
we sodainly tost and carried away as with violent waues and horrible whire-winds into the lowest gulfes and deepes of the earth Moreouer as the huge monsters of the sea and the greatest and strongest fishes do eate vp and deuoure the smallest and weakest and as the craftiest entrap the simplest and pray vpon them euen so is it with the men of this world For the mightiest tyrants and the richest strongest and greatest rouers theeues and robbers do pill and take away the substance of the least and feeblest and do consume and deuoure them And they which cannot doe so by force haue recourse to sleights deceits and treasons by which they surprise the simple and meeke And therefore also as the holy Ghost compareth in the Scripture tyrants Soph. 3. Dan. 7. Ezech. 22. Psal 74. Luk. 13. rouers theeues and murderers to woolues beares lyons and such like beasts and the craftie and deceitful to foxes dragons and serpents who do by subtiltie and guile that which they cannot performe by power and force so doth he compare them to huge whales and to the great fishes of the sea So because Nilus a renowned riuer whereof we haue alreadie spoken passeth through the land of Egypt and runneth into the sea by seuen mouthes or armes Isay calleth Pharaoh the king and tyrant of that countrey Isay 27. Leuiathan or Whale which God did strike with his strong hand and his mightie arme ouerwhelming him in the red sea It is also saide for the like consideration in the Psalmes Thou brakest the heads of dragons in the waters Psal 74. Thou brakest the head of Leuiathan in peeces and gauest him for meate to the people in the wildernes Abac. 1. And the prophet Abacuc doth likewise compare the king and tyrant of Babylon to a great fisher who casteth his nets into the sea and causeth the fishes to come into them and so he taketh them But heere we are to note that although there be some kinds of beasts who eate one another yet are they not all of this nature For there are but certaine of them that liue so vpon praie and rapine And amongst them that so liue there are but verie fewe that eate beastes of their owne kinde except great famine constraine them thereto Yea hunger doth inuite them that liue by pray to chase and deuour others rather then their owne kinde For it is necessitie and want of sustenance that driueth them thereto And though especially fishes do least spare their owne kinde yet doe they not eate one another except when hunger constraineth them thereto to preserue their life How men are more cruell then beasts But men most wretched surely haue not all these causes to mooue them against their own kind against their owne flesh and bloud as it is ordinarily seene that they are more cruelly and more fiercely bent one against another then any bruite beasts but contrariwise they shoulde be much better furnished in all their necessities and should liue much more at their ease if they could maintaine good peace and vnitie one with another Wherefore in that they do otherwise it is easie to iudge how much their nature is corrupted peruerse except they be regenerated by the spirite of God For there is no bond of nature whatsoeuer no not that which is kept amongst the brutest beasts as of the female towards her yoong ones or of the male towards the female and such like which men do not shamefully breake and violate But we must herein acknowledge a terrible iudgment furie of God against them bicause of their sin which hath so peruerted and infected the first original nature of the stock of mankinde For when he giueth strength and power to the one for to torment and destroy the other yea to most cruell tyrants and bloudie murtherers who make lesse account of men then of beasts we must learne this doctrine that herein the iust ordināce of the Almightie is very euident by which he punisheth the wicked by the wicked Good doctrine touching the tyrannie of the wicked taketh reuenge vpon his enimies euen by his enimies thēselues as he hath threatned them in his law And therefore there is lesse maruel herein then that God suffreth the small fishes to be eaten by great ones the weakest by the strongest and the simplest by the craftiest as also the gentlest birds by the cruellest and lambes sheepe and other priuate domesticall and harmelesse beasts by woolues beares lyons and other wilde beasts For it is very certaine that the beasts haue not offended their creator nor deserued his wrath through any sinne against him as men haue done who being created in his owne image are fallen from innocencie and holines through their own fault through the corruption of nature which the transgression of Gods ordinance hath brought vpon them And if we cannot make answere for the cause of this nature of vnreasonable creatures but onely that it hath so pleased God who is the master and lord of all these works and who hath prouided for them according to his good pleasure surely also when we can conceiue no other reason for the tyrannie and crueltie of men exercised one vpon another this same reason should then suffice vs. For the onely will of the eternall the which cannot be but iust and reasonable alwaies must euer serue for a reason when wee cannot vnderstand the causes as we would But as I saide euen now this reason manifesteth it selfe sufficiently in his iust iudgements vpon men bicause of their sinnes Now albeit wee holde this sufficiently good in regard of the wicked and of those who oppose themselues and rebell fiercely against the Almightie yet the consideration might seeme to vs to be otherwise in respect of the meeke and of those whome he holdeth not onely for his seruants but also for his beloued children who neuerthelesse are commonly a pray to the wicked as sheepe are to woolues I must indeed confesse that these iudgements of God seeme more strange to humane reason then the other do yet they are not so secret and mysticall but that he manifesteth causes enough not onely by his worde Notable things to be considered in the aduersities of the good but also by common experience For first how much goodnes holines and perfection soeuer can consist in any man yet neuertheles as concerning his flesh he walloweth altogither in sinne and very much naturall corruption in pride arrogancie rebellion and disobedience against God which haue great neede to bee better mortified humbled tamed and brought downe Againe how easie a matter is it for vs to forget our Creator and our owne selues and to abuse all the graces and benefits which we receiue continually at his hand Also seeing that he will be glorified and that his power shall be knowne in the faith constancie charitie and patience of his we should not thinke it strange that he puts them to triall exercising them by diuers
they neither spinne nor haue weauers nor clothiers nor drapers nor other worke-folks and tradesmen to deale for them Yea how maruellous is the conseruation and multiplication of all plants by meanes of their owne seeds syons and fruits according as the Creator did at first constitute For that I may first speake of the smaller sort who could beleeue if experience did not assure vs that of one little graine of mustard seede should grow a great and high plant like a little shrub Matth. 12. in such sort that the birds of heauen might make their nests therein Then let vs consider how corne pulse and all other sorts of seeds do bud grow and multiply But who of himselfe would iudge that out of one little kernell of a nut or filberd there could grow so great trees and so much wood as should beare innumerable leaues and buds and so much fruit each yeere euerie one according to his owne kinde and that for long time Would not all this seeme incredible if we were not ascertained by continuall experience and a sure course in Nature And if God doth shew himselfe most wonderfull in all these things in regard of the herbes trees and plants what shall we say if we proceed to the consideration of their natures properties and vertues and of the commodities remedies and profits Woonders concerning the properties and virtues of the fruites of the earth which men receiue thereby This surely is the most principall point For how admirable is it that by the meanes of herbes trees and other plants which haue no soule that may minister life vnto them with motion and sense and which may much lesse participate with any reason God doth not onely preserue the life of men and of other creatures a thing to bee woondred at but doth also thereby giue them strength vigour and force For what are these herbs and plants which produce all sorts of corne pulse and other graine of which men make foode and are thereby nourished What is the vine and other fruit-trees Who could thinke if he saw it not with his eies that there is neither man nor beast that could be nourished and preserue his life but by such meanes For how can that thing either giue or preserue and maintaine life which hath no life in it selfe And yet if we will consider of the medicines and remedies which men finde in herbes and plants onely besides those which they may take from other creatures who can in truth either declare or write I wil not say all of them but onely the thousandth part For although the most excellent phisitions haue alwaies trauelled in this part of their art which is commonly called the Knowledge of Symples yet how farre off are they from the full and perfect theoricke of them For what a number of herbes and rootes be there which are vnknowen and haue yet no name And how many are there which are taken one for another and wherein the most skilful Phisitions and Herbarists are oftentimes deceiued And yet this little which we know should mooue vs to thinke vpon the great and ineffable bountie of God towards men and vpon the fatherly care which he hath of vs all For though that by our sinnes we haue merited death both of bodie and soule which death our sinne hath not onely gained but also many diuers and strange sorts of diseases and corporall infirmities most grieuous and terrible yea sometimes hideous and horrible which are like butchers and slaughterers to put them to death yet the charitie and loue of our God is alwaies so great towards mankinde that he giueth vs as many and more yea sundrie medicines for one onely maladie But we will be instructed more amply by you AMANA in this matter that wee may acknowledge therein verie cleere testimonies of the prouidence of God Of the vertue that herbes and other fruits of the earth haue in phisicke and in food and of the true vse of them Chap. 66. AMANA IT is daily seene that by the meanes of some small herbes which grow in a garden or in a mountaine or in some other desert place and which also are oftentimes troden vnder foote without any account made of them many are commonly deliuered not onely from great paines and grieuous maladies but euen from death it selfe which otherwise it seemeth would most certainely approch Wherin certes we haue a goodly subiect to consider that if God giueth this vertue to creatures of small estimation in comparison of many others and that by the meanes of them hee ministreth so great helpe and doth so much good to man what must be the power and bounty of that great and soueraigne phisition which maketh them preuaile and giues them power to heale For wee must vnderstand that it is not the herbes nor other drugs and preparatiues nor yet the apothecaries and phisitions who make and compound them that are the true cause of restored-health to the sicke but God alone who doth not onely giue the remedies but also knowledge to men how for to vse them and to be skilfull how to apply them to their owne necessities for which he hath created them Herein then we must acknowledge two great benefits that the most good and most puissant God hath conferred vpon vs. The first is Two great good things that God hath done for man that he hath giuen vs medicines fit and necessarie for healing The other is the knowledge of them and the theoricke how to apply them to their conuenient purpose and vsage And one of these benefits without the other would indeede but little auaile vs. For as the workman cannot worke without such stuffe as is requisite for him to make his worke of as also it would be vnprofitable if no man should employ it and put it to vse for the same cause God which taketh care of the least of his creatures hath imprinted in the nature of brute beasts that want vnderstanding and reason a certaine knowledge of things that are fit for them not onely for their nourishment but also for remedies in their diseases so that they neede no other phisitions but themselues onely What iudgement must bee made of the virtue that the fruits of the earth do retaine for the good of men But in this discourse we are to note what iudgement we must make of so great vertue as we finde in all herbes and drugs and by like reason that we must consider thereof in the propertie of corne bread wine and of all meates and drinks which are as ordinarie and continuall medicines for the preseruation of life For if that which is diminished and consumed daily in vs were not also repaired and restored daily by our meate and drinke wee should fall suddenly into greeuous maladies and finally into death Forasmuch then as it pleaseth God to preserue the life which he hath giuen vs and to maintaine vs in health and good disposition he giueth power to that which we
by little and little and is of colour somewhat greene and is cleere and sweete though somewhat vnpleasant in taste through bitternes Whereby it appeereth that the myrrh which heere we haue is not right for all these markes are not found therein but it is blacke and as if it were scorched mouldie and mossie on the outside Which wee neede not thinke strange considering that euen in Alexandria where our men do commonly buie myrrh there is scarce any to be gotten which is not sophisticate For the Arabian Mahumetans who bring it thither and sell it doe therein vse a thousand deceits mocking at such Christians as traffike with them and at their curiositie There is great difference then betwixt natural myrrh which distilleth out of the tree and artificiall being sophisticated with gum and mixed with other things Propertie of mirrh such as is ordinarie in our Apothecaries shops Now the right myrrh is of hot and drie qualitie in the second degree and being drunke it is verie profitable for those that haue the quartaine ague It is vsed in Antidotes against poisons against hurts by venemous beasts and against the plague And being applied to wounds in the head it will heale them Let vs now speake of the tree that beareth cloues Of the Cloue-tree which groweth in the southeast countries in certaine isles of the Indian sea The stocke thereof is like to that of a boxe tree and so is the wood It flourisheth almost like to a laurell-tree and the fruit groweth in this manner At the ende of euerie little branch there doth first appeere a budde which produceth a flower or blossome of purple colour afterwards by little little the fruit is formed and commeth to that passe as we behold it being red when it groweth out of the bloome but by heat of the Sunne it waxeth blacke afterwards in such sort as it is brought hither The inhabitants of the countrey especially of the Isles of Molucca doe plant and set cloue-trees almost in the same manner as we in Europe do our vines And that they may preserue this fruit and spice a long time they make pits in the earth wherein they put the cloues till such time as merchants come to carry them away This tree is full of branches and beareth many blossomes white at first afterwards greene and at last red The people there shake and beat the vppermost boughes of the tree hauing first made cleane the place vnderneath for no herbe groweth neere about it because it draweth all the moisture of the earth to it selfe And the cloues so shaken downe are put to dry two or three daies and are then shut vp till they be sold That cloue which sticketh still fast to the tree doth waxe great yet differeth not from the rest except in oldnes though some haue held opinion that the greatest are of the male kinde This tree springeth of it selfe out of one onely corne of a cloue which hath fallen on the ground and it indureth an hundred yeeres as the inhabitants report The vertue of cloues is verie great For they are good for the liuer Of the property of Cloues the stomacke and the heart They helpe digestion and binde the fluxe of the belly They cleere the sight consume and take away the webbe and cloudes in the eies They heat and drie to the third degree they strengthen and open both together and are verie piercing Being beaten to powder and drunke with wine or the iuice of Quinces they stay vomitings cause lost appetite to returne fortifie the stomacke and the head They heat verie well a cold liuer And for this cause they are ministred verie profitably to such as haue the dropsie especially to those who haue water spread throughout all their bodie The smell of them fetcheth those againe that haue swouned and being chawed they sweeten the breath They are good for such as are troubled with the falling sicknes with the palsie and with the lethargie Being eaten or taken in perfume they preserue from the plague and are verie commodious for such as are subiect to catarrhes and for such as are stuffed in the nose if they receiue the smoke thereof into their nosthrils In briefe their vse is infinitely diuers profitable both in phisicke and in our ordinarie diet whereby we restore nature And sith we are in this talke let it be your part AMANA to entreat of other trees bearing spices Of trees and plants that beare Nutmegs Ginger and Pepper Chap. 70. AMANA AMongst fiue kinds of nuts which the earth produceth to wit the common Nut the Nut of India Nux Metella Nux vomica and the Nutmeg this is the most singular and of rarest vertue which hath taken name from muske by reason of the sweete and pleasant sent thereof Now they who haue trauelled into India make great report Of the Nutmegge tree that the trees which beare Nutmegs do abundantly grow in an Isle named Banda and in many other Isles of the Moluccaes and that it is as great and as long branched as a walnut-tree with vs and that there is but small difference in the growing of nutmegs and of common nuts Moreouer this fruit is at first couered with two barks whereof the outtermost is hairie or mossie vnder which is a thinne bloome which like a net or fillet doth embrace and couer the nut is like a skaule or coife called Mace whereof there is great account made and it is reckoned amongst the most pretious and rarest spices which we plainly see in those nutmegs that are brought whole from the Indies being preserued in sugar or in iuice of carrouges The other bark which couereth the nutmeg is like the shell of an hasell nut out of which they take it to bring vnto vs which is verie easie to doe by reason that the time of ripening being come this hard shell openeth and sheweth an inward rinde that enuironeth the nut about which we call as aforesaid Mace which at that time appeereth as red as skarlet but when the nut is drie it turnes yellowish is thrise as deere as the nuts themselues That which is more to be admired in this tree is that it beareth the fruit therof being so excellent naturally without any industrie or husbandrie of man Moreouer the best nuts are the newest not rotten the heauiest fullest most oylie abounding in moisture so that if one thrust a needle thereinto there doth presently some iuice issue They are hot and drie in the second degree and restrictiue They make sweet breath being chewed Property of the Nutmegge and take away all stinking smell thereof They cleere the sight strengthen the stomacke and liuer abate the swelling of the spleene prouoke vrine stay the fluxe of the bellie driue away ventositie and are maruellous good against cold diseases in the wombe In summe they haue the same vertues that Cloues haue And when they are greene or new being bruised and well heated in a
sage neither can much difference be marked in them saue in the leaues which are thinner whiter and rougher in wilde then in garden sage This plant is very singular against all cold and flegmaticke diseases in the head and against all paines of the ioints either being taken in drinke or applied in fomentations Wherefore it is very good for them who haue the falling disease or are sicke of the lethargie and for those that haue their members benummed or senselesse It is profitable against defluxions of fleame and maladies in the breast It is good for great bellied women to eate which are subiect to trauell before their time for euery light cause for it keepeth the childe in the wombe and doth quicken it If you giue three or foure ounces of the iuice of sage to them that spit blood that they may drinke it fasting in a morning with honie the blood will presently be staied The vse of sage in pottage and otherwise serueth to sharpen the appetite and cleanse the stomacke being full of ill humors In summe when occasion is to heate drie and binde sage is a very good and fit medicine Of Mints and their property Mints haue likewise many great properties and are very common both in gardens and fields Whereof though there be many kindes for some haue small and crisped leaues others haue the stalke and flower red and others white yet is there no great matter to be made of these differences considering that one selfe same vertue resideth in all Mints beaten and made into a plaister do comfort a weake stomacke It is a soueraigne thing to restore the smell and feeling to those that haue lost it so that it be often held to the nose The leaues thereof dried and brought into powder kill wormes in little children The iuice drunke with vineger stancheth blood with the iuice of a sower pomegranate it restraineth vomitings hickets and the colicke passion Mints laid vpon the forehead asswage the headach and laid vpon too tender dugs that are ful of milk it easeth the paine of them applied with salt it is good for bitings by dogs and with honied water it is good against paines in the eares The water of the whole plant distilled in a glasse-limbecke in a bath of hot water and drunke to the waight of fower ounces staieth bleeding at nose They that loue milke must presently after they haue eaten thereof chew mint leaues to hinder the milke that it doe not curdle in their stomacke if also you sprinkle cheese with the iuice thereof or with the decoction thereof it will keepe from corrupting and rottennesse Now I referre to you ARAM the sequele of this discourse Of Thyme Sauorie Marierom Rue Parsley and Fennell Chap. 75. ARAM. Of Thyme and the propertie thereof AMongst common herbes admirable in their properties Thyme is worthie to be noted Now there are two sorts thereof one bearing sundry twigs laden with verie manie little narrow leaues hauing small heads at the top full of purple flowers and the other is as hard as wood more branched and like vnto Sauorie In propertie it is hot and dry in the third degree And therefore it prouoketh vrine doth heat and being taken in drinke doth purge the intrailes It is good to make one spit out the ill-humours of the lungs and in the breast Fower drams of drie thyme puluerized being ministred fasting to one that hath the gout with two ounces and an halfe of honied vineger doth profit them verie much for it purgeth choler and other sharpe humours It is good also for diseases of the bladder and the waight of a dram being taken with a spoonefull of honied water it is good for such as begin to haue a swollen belly for the sciatica and paine in the reines in the sides and in the breast for inflations and stitches about the forepart of the belly for melancholie persons for those that are troubled in minde and are in continuall fearfulnes if three drams be giuen to them fasting with a spoonefull of honied-vineger it will doe them much good It is profitable also against inflammation of the eies and vehement paines therof and against the goute in the feete being taken with wine The vse thereof is verie good for them that haue but bad sight Out of Thyme there is an oyle extracted of the colour of gold which commeth forth with the water when the herbe being fresh and greene is distilled in a bathe of hot water This oyle smels like a Citron and is verie tart in taste and good for all things which haue need to be heated But we must note that heed must be taken that to all the foresaid purposes blacke thyme be not vsed for it corrupteth the temperature of the person and ingendreth choler And therfore that thyme must be chosen which beareth a carnation flower and that for the best yet which beareth a white flower Sauorie also is an herbe knowen vnto all Of Sauory and hath the same properties and vertues which thyme hath being taken in such manner There are two kindes thereof one is like to thyme somewhat lesse and more tender bearing a bud full of greene flowers enclining to purple The other is greater and more branched which is often found in gardens hauing many boughes that spread about it being round and woodie The leaues thereof are greater then those of thyme somewhat strong and harder which doe here and there grow about the branches in bunches togither after the springing whereof there grow out little buds enuironed with leaues which are much lesse then the other wherein grow small carnation flowers The leaues and flowers of sauorie being made in a garland or chaplet and set vpon the head of such as sleep do waken them Being vsed in a cataplasme with wheat-meale sod together in wine it is verie auaileable against griefe of the sciatica But the vse of sauorie is chiefly good for healthfull persons whether it be in pottage or in sauce or otherwise And it being dryed in the shade and brought into powder may be vsed insteed of spices and so may Thyme and Marierom with maruellous profit for health and strange drugs tbat are hurtfull may be spared as pepper and ginger are being commonly vsed Of Marierom Marierom is so good for all persons so that there are but few people which haue it not either in their gardens or in earth pots the whole plant is verie odoriferous and most profitable in phisicke It is branched with small plyable twigs with long whitish and hairie leaues growing about those twigs It beareth flowers in great number on the top of the stalkes and buds of the colour of the herbe being long and composed of an heape of scales wel compact together out of which groweth a litle graine In propertie it resolueth and is attenuatiue opening and coroboratiue It is excellent against all cold diseases of the head and of the sinewes both outwardly applied and taken in drinke as also
say greatly to torment but also to bereaue of life the greatest and most fearefull giant or prince in all the world Herein then haue wee a goodly example to teach vs to know what we are what we can do and how we must feare and bee in continuall doubt though wee suppose our selues to be neuer so strong and mightie And we may also instruct our selues when we behold that there is no man so assured but that is somewhat mooued and receiueth some feare yea and many times very much at the onely sight and meeting of an adder or viper or of some other venemous beast Wee may also imagine that if the eternall creator of euery soule doth shew himselfe so much to be feared in such small and vile creatures who doe not subsist nor retaine any power but such as proceedeth from him what might this bee in comparison of his whole puissance if he would declare it vpon his enimies But indeede this neede not because he can doe his pleasure by far lesse force Exod. 8. Psal 78. 105. Nomb. 11. as when he was displeased with the proud arrogancie and peruerse obstinacie of Pharaoh and of the Egyptians who held the God of the Hebrewes in disdaine he would not war vpon them with great armies of men but did onely raise vp troupes of frogs of flies and of lice against which the proud tyrants could not resist but remained vanquished Againe how did hee after that chastice his people in the wildernes by fierie serpents How many times afterwards did he bring many people into extreme necessity as if a strong armie Leuit. 26. Deut. 28. Ioel. 1. or fire had passed through their country and that onely by cankerwormes catterpillers grasse-hoppers and such like vermine wherewith he threatneth those that rebell against his statutes And doe we not consider what vexation oftentimes flies lice wormes rats and mice doe put vs vnto Haue we not goodly occasion to bee proud high minded and to esteeme much of our selues seeing that there is not so much power in vs as to inuent the meanes how to defend and saue our selues from such little creatures who trouble vs day and night both at home and abroad And may we not heereby iudge how we could defend our selues from wolues beares lions tigres and other sauage and wilde beasts in whom there is no doubt but that we haue verie euident signes and testimonies proposed of the wrath and furie of God For who is so stout that is not much scared to encounter with or to heare the voice onely of any of these beasts We know that God hath menaced the transgressors of his commandemēts with them For he saith thus I will send the teeth of beasts vpon them with the venim of serpents creeping in the dust Deut. 32. Ose 13. 2. King 7. 2. King 2. And so hath he oftentimes done in the lande of Samaria and in Iudea yea not sparing the yoong children as was declared in them who were deuoured by the beares because they mocked the Prophet Eliseus How many such examples of the wrath of God do Histories set before our eies that haue beene executed in the daies of our fathers yea amongst vs who cannot be ignorant how that many times wolues haue deuoured little children digging down the house sides for them they beeing close by their parents Wherefore sith the Lord did say by Amos The lion hath roared Amos. 3. who will not be afraide The Lord God hath spoken who can but prophesie Let vs learne two things first that if the onely voice of the lion terrifie those which heare it by much more reason must the word of God mooue vs secondly that the true seruants of God cannot be silent when the Lord shall haue commanded them to speake but will attribute all glorie to his name not standing in feare of venemous serpents wilde beasts and other scourges of his wrath but dreading the Omnipotent only who executeth vengeance vpon the wicked when and how he pleaseth Of the bounty of God which shineth in venemous beasts And as by this discourse we must acknowledge the image of God being angrie and the pattern of his furie in all those creatures which may hurt vs and how much he is to bee feared and dreaded in his most high Maiestie considering that his iudgements are so terrible being executed but by the smallest creatures of the earth so on the other side must we consider vpon the great bountie and benignitie of God of which he giues vs testimonies not onely in beasts created to the onely purpose to serue and profit man but also in those which seeme not to haue beene made but onely for their hurt For as we haue alreadie said venims and poysons may serue to many other vses then to kill men and venemous beasts are not so full of poyson throughout all their bodie but that they may profit in sundrie occasions witnes the viper a most fearfull serpent whose flesh is verie requisite in the composition of true treacle which is a most soueraigne remedie against all venim and poyson And there are manie verie dangerous diseases against which this flesh of the viper and of other serpents is verie profitable according to the testimonie of phisitions Who likewise teach that the Scorpion whose stinging is mortall carrieth with him the true remedie for health if he be brayed and laide vpon the wound which hee hath made or else if being burnt the ashes of him bee drunke with wine But how many rare properties doe they assigne to the oyle which is made of scorpions In briefe to speake in a word there is no beast so venemous none so sauage none so cruell be it great or small by which men may not receiue much profit if their nature were well knowne All which we may better learne if we consider how that many creatures are nourished with that which to others is venim and poyson the discourse whereof AMANA let vs receiue from you Of the nourishment of many animals by that which is venim and poyson to others and of the naturall amitie and enimitie which is amongst them Chap. 90. AMANA IT may seeme to many that hornets caterpillers canker-wormes grasse-hoppers spiders and such like vermin were not created to any other ende saue to endomage men but though we doe omit a thousand properties which all these creatures haue by nature seruing to vse in phisicke and that we doe but onely consider how they serue for food and nourishment to many other creatures yet shall we in this haue enough wherein to acknowledge the profit which doth returne vnto vs from most vile and contemptible creatures and by so much the more magnifie the prouidence of God who ordaineth all things for our good For it is verie certaine that these small creatures which otherwise seeme to bee vnprofitable doe serue for food and meate to birds and foules and to such fishes as we doe ordinarily eate of so that we
subiect of your discourse Of the vtility that commeth vnto men by beasts and chiefly by priuate and domesticall-tame beasts and of the woonderfull prouidence of God which declareth it selfe in them Chap. 91. ARAM. SIthence God hath so disposed all things by his prouidence for the good and commodity of men that they may receiue some profite euen out of the most venimous cruell and sauage beasts as wee haue already heard wee may in no wise doubt as indeede experience doth daily teach vs but that they do receiue great aide and help from priuate and tame beasts as are sheepe kine oxen bulles asses mules horses and such like For we are serued with their labours and trauaile with their fruit with their flesh with their wool and with their skinnes For from whence receiue wee our clothing except linnen but from beasts With how many sorts of wooles and of skins do they furnish vs Of the commodity that men haue by tame beasts And from whence haue wee the silkes cloth and workes which are made and which serue to cloath the most stout and proud tyrants and other princes of the earth Haue wee them not by the industry of wormes and small vermine In very truth wee may very well say that wormes cloath wormes and that the most stately amongst men doe take from the most vile amongst creatures the substance of their brauerie and pomp For what are men but poore wormes of the earth who to make themselues a little excell the rest do take from other wormes the ornaments of their magnificence And if we consider what commodity the milke which is drawne from some beasts doth deliuer vnto a thousand thousand persons if we consider of the great multitude that there is of all kinds of foure-footed beasts of birdes and of fishes all which doe serue vs for foode and nourishment in diuers manners if how many sundry tastes and sauours we finde in all these meates of different natures according to the tasts complexions and dispositions of men and which are so tempered that they bee good for those that are in health for those that are sick for great for small for yoong for olde shall we not be rauished with all these wonders thereby to giue glorie to the soueraigne Creator and moderator of all nature What shall we more say in that the skins of earthly beasts are of so many diuers colours and so well compact either of woole or of haire or of good skins of the varietie and diuersitie that there is in the feathers of birds and in the colours of them and in their songs which minister much pleasure to melancholy persons are not these so many excellent testimonies of the power of the Omnipotent who created all these things through his bountie and benignitie towards vs Surely there is nothing so vile contemptible in the least creature that is but doth preach the Maiestie of God vnto vs. And therefore he said vnto his seruant Iob Iob. 39. Hast thou giuen the pleasant wings vnto the peacocks or wings and feathers vnto the Ostrich For we see that they which will decke themselues do put vpon their heads the faire plumes of the Ostrich of other foules which are sold verie deere also euerie one admireth the taile of the peacocke wherewith he sets foorth himselfe which he turneth like as into a wheele or a roundell being so gallantly garnished that there seeme to be as many eies or sunnes as there be feathers therein I speake not here of the nature of beasts nor of the industrie which God hath giuen to euerie one of them to know what is conuenient or hurtfull for them and to couet the one and auoid the other as also how they are furnished with care and power to preserue their life and the liues of their yoong ones I passe ouer in silence the power and diuers properties which consist in each of them for the discourse thereof would be infinite and we haue likewise alreadie said somewhat concerning that which is most note-worthie in many rare and excellent beasts But I will here bring into the number one of the least and most common sort which wee behold euerie day in our houses for perhaps the consideration thereof will not be altogither vnprofitable vnto vs Many things to bee considered of in the nature of the Cock. and that is the cocke If any question be made concerning his beautie in what birde may we finde more be it that we consider of his plumage and the diuersitie of colours which is commonly therin or of his faire kingly crest or his stately pace and braue carriage which cannot be more magnificent in the greatest monarch of the world And if this birde were not so common but were verie seldome seene there are but few other creatures which would be preferred before him although there were nothing woorthie of consideration in his nature saue that which we haue alreadie declared What shall we say then if we will but meditate of what hart and courage he is in fight Is there any other creature which can lesse endure to be ouercome and is more ashamed thereof Againe what curtesie vseth he amongst the hens with whom he is conuersant and how much doth hee loue them euen to prouide for meat to feed them and to take it out of his owne beake to giue vnto them calling them when he hath found it as the henne calleth her little chickens together But that which I finde most strange in him is the agreement which by nature he hath with the Sunne which is such as one may verie well thinke that he hath some naturall Astronomie and Astrologie which is bred in him For he vnderstandeth and perceiueth the course and motion of the heauen and of the Sun and when his rising doth approch so that he declareth it by his crowing verie timely in the morning and that diuers times before any other creature can perceiue it yea or men themselues except they rise out of their beds to behold the skie And yet for all that they must haue obtained some knowledge of the course and of the motion of heauen either by the science of Astronomie or through long vse and continuall obseruations thereof as is with shepherds and those that watch in the fields But if the heauens be couered with cloudes what can the most expert of them know therein saue by meanes of clocks which they haue in their houses The cocke then is more skilfull in this art For without euer mouing from the place where he is at roust to sleep and what weather soeuer there be faire or fowle yet doth not he faile to sound out the chimes at his howers so as there is no clock so certaine and he serueth also for one to them that haue no other And therefore we may verie well say that how many cocks there are in the world so many naturall and domesticall clockes are they for those who haue them in their
wisedome of him and as mirrors wherein he presenteth himselfe euery where before our eies And when we serue him not according to our dutie we are well woorthie to be set to schoole to such masters as being beasts more brute more wilde more sauage then they who liue with vs and are created for to serue vs. It is then as Isay saide to the Israelites who were ingratefull and rebellious against their God The oxe knoweth his owner and the asse his masters crib but Israell hath not knowne my people hath not vnderstoode And indeed in these two kindes of creatures we haue a goodly example to raise vs out of our sloth and ingratitude towards God if we do but consider onely what benefits do redound vnto vs by the seruice which we haue of oxen in tilling of our lands and drawing of carts and wagons and by asses in bearing all loades and burdens which are laide vpon their backs Wherein we are also to esteeme of the prouidence of God in regard of the forme of the bodies and members of these beasts For he hath so disposed them that their onely figure and composition doth admonish men of the workes wherein these creatures must be imployed of the vses whereto they must be put For oxen do cleerely shew vs that their back is not fit to beare packs nor saddle but that their necke is fitte for the yoke and their shoulders to draw carts and wagons whereby one may easily iudge as also by their heauines that they are vnfit to beare burdens like the asse whose backe head and shoulders are apt for the same Of the docility of Bulles Moreouer shall we not consider of the great bountie and prouidence of God in that he hath created the puissant strong buls so docible that men doe easily teach them to leaue all their fiercenes and make them so tame that a little yoong boy shall lead them like sheepe and put the yoke vpon their necke couple them and make them labour as he listeth This may make vs woonder at the indocilitie and wildnes of man being so difficult to correct and tame For wee see that one onely childe can easily direct a great troupe of beasts be they oxen or buls and gouerne them himselfe But contrariwise the nature of man is so vntoward that many masters and gouernors are scarce sufficient to guide one onely childe And what may we more say in that all the gouernment of these beasts is done without any need to muzzle their mouthes or to tye and fasten them in chaines or halters and without keeping them in bits and bridles like horses which men tame by such meanes Surely wee neede not doubt but if God had not ordayned by his prouidence that oxen and buls should serue men in those vses whereto they would employ them that we should be able to draw no more seruice out of them then out of the wildest beasts that are in the world By so many testimonies then as we haue in the nature of beasts of the puissance bountie and benignitie of the creator of all things let vs conclude that we may verie well say to all such as doe not consider vpon the so admirable workes of God and vpon his prouidence therein that which Iob said to his friends speaking thus Aske the beasts and they shall teach thee Iob. 12. and the fowles of the heauen and they shall tell thee or speake to the earth and it shall shew thee or to the fishes of the sea and they shall declare vnto thee who is ignorant of all these but that the hand of the Lord hath made all these And to morrow companions wee will take a view of the goodly riches and treasures which are hidden within the earth to wit of mettalles and precious stones the discourse whereof ASER you shall begin The end of the eleuenth daies worke THE TWELFTH DAIES WORKE Of mettals and especially of Gold Chapter 93. ASER. AS we haue alreadie contemplated those things which appeere to be most rare vpon the earth so doe we now desire somewhat to refresh our spirits by the consideration of those things which are hidden within the intrailes thereof That then shall be the subiect of our discourse for this day to the end that as the contemplation of the highest heauens did open an entrance into our discourse so we should conclude it by a treatise vpon that which is within the earth neerest to the center of this great Vniuers to wit vpon mettals and stones Not that we intend to speake of them as by a particular description of their nature and species for then I dare affirme that there are so many kindes of mettals engendred within the earth that they cannot be particularly described and sith that nature adorneth the earth with aboue fiue hundred kindes of plants and with as many beasts it is verie likely that she exerciseth no fewer meanes vnder earth whereby to enrich it But as we haue proposed vnto our selues no other ende in all our discourses of heauen of earth and of the creatures therein contayned but onely to consider vpon the most worthie things therein which might incite vs to an holy meditation of the prouidence of God thereby the more to glorifie him euen so will we doe in that which we now intend to declare concerning mettals and precious stones What mettall is and of the kindes thereof Mettall is that which is pliable by the hammer and hard stones are hard but not pliable and wax and mud are pliable but not hard Mettalles are seuen in number as the planets are For gold representeth the Sun siluer the Moone amber called electrum Mercurie iron Mars lead Saturne brasse Venus and copper Iupiter or else wee distinguish them in this sort All mettall is perfect soft and pure as gold or it is pure and hard as siluer or it is hard and impure as iron or it is soft and impure as lead And for amber it is compounded of gold and siluer as cyprus copper is made of brasse and iron containing an equall substance of brasse and of iron which causeth that iron too much concocted and high tincted is easily changed into brasse and rechanged againe into copper But wee will now speake of gold which is the most perfect and purest of all mettalles In very truth nature neuer tooke delight to make a more perfect elementary substance then gold is for it is as pure and neate in the qualitie thereof as are the simple elements whereof it is composed And therefore by good right do wee hold it in price of excellencie far aboue all other riches and do esteeme it in our iudgement to bee much more precious then all other mettalles For beeing in the composition thereof proportioned in equall qualitie fitly correspondent in the symmetry of the elements which compound it it is euen from the originall thereof so purified already as are the simple elements In such sort that by their coniunction togither in
equall power there is engendred so delicate and perfect a mixture of indissoluble vnion composing an accord so faithfully that there is made thereby an incorruptible paste which is permanent to all eternity in the excellencie and goodnes thereof Wherefore gold cannot bee vanquished by iniurie of time and of antiquitie neither can containe in it selfe nor support any excrescence and superfluitie of rust For though it bee put into the water or fire and there remaine for any long space of time yet is it neuer stained neither doth accept any other quality but that which is naturall nor yet doth faile any whit which is the particular priuiledge that it hath aboue other mettalles For they are all subiect to alteration and therefore change and corrupt for a small matter and accept a good or bad qualitie in their originall or end But gold is incorruptible and therefore not subiect to such mutations yea though it bee drawne out in so small wire that it be as fine as threeds in a spiders web and though it be buried in most piercing medicaments as are sublimatum and verdegrease salt and vineger that it remaine two thousand yeeres therein it will not for all that bee corrupted but contrarywise the more refined but all gold hath not one selfe same perfection for their mines and sources are different in goodnes Sometimes also gold is counterfait sophisticate and falsified through the infidelitie or auarice of those who mingle it and multiplie it with other mixtures of mettals of lesse value and lesse pure then it is But pure and refined gold is alwaies perfect by nature in all those qualities which wee haue already touched How gold is found And it is found in diuers manners to wit mixed with sand as in Bohemia on the shore-side amongst the waters neere to Goldebourgh and Risegronde and amongst the stones in mountaines as in Calecut and in the Indies But the first generation thereof is at the top of mountaines in the highest places because that the sun doth there more easily purifie that which retaineth too much earthines in it And when the raine and torrents do flowe downe the mountaines they carry the gold downe with them to the foote thereof where it is gathered amongst the sand or else in waters neere thereunto whither it is driuen by violence of the flouds except perhaps the ground open with those raines and the gold doe there stick as it oftentimes chaunceth And that which is alwaies found in the entrance of the mine is not the finest but the farther you goe the finer and purer it is of better waight and greater value That then which is found in waters and riuers is fished for and is in forme of little graines and in rocks and mountaines it is taken out by deluing and digging Three sorts of gold-mines And therefore there are holden to bee three sorts of gold mines For some are called pendent some iacent and others oblique and running The pendent are those which are found in the superficies of mountaines and haue the earth vnder them They which are iacent or lie are belowe in the fielde and plaine ground carried thither by torrents and stormes of raine And the other that are oblique haue a crosse course whether it bee in that which hangeth or lieth all whereof is driuen by flouds into the next riuers for which cause there are riuers throughout all the world the sand whereof seemeth to bee of azure and gold hauing indeede pure and fine graines of good gold How gold is taken out of mines Now according as the mines are so are there diuers meanes vsed to take out the mettall For in those places which are dry without water they which are expert in the veine of mines hauing true knowledge what may be in that place do cause it to be digged eight or ten foote deepe and as many foote long and broad and as they proceede in their worke they still wash the earth that is digged vp continuing so till such time as they finde the gold which is sometimes so deepe that they are driuen to set vp arches of wood ouer them that the earth may not ouerwhelm them And when the mines are pendent along the mountaines the difficultie is then more great wherefore they also set vp engines to defend them from dangers which are there verie imminent For some to wit those that dig into the rocke are quite hidden therein euen as those that cut stone are within a quarrie others creepe scrambling vp the sharpe rockes with a basket at their backes seeking out the earth of the mine to carrie it to the water others wash the same earth in a sieue by meanes whereof the gold is separated remayning in the sieue after that the earth is runne out by little and little Moreouer out of these mines there issueth a stinking breath or damp which doth oftentimes choake and kill them that worke therein being not able to indure so bad an aire some also are drowned by waters which suddenly gush out of those places where they haue digged when they thinke not of any such thing quickly ouerwhelming them before they can make signe to those that are aboue to helpe them Againe these miserable poore soules are oftentimes affrighted by euill spirits who inhabite in great numbers in those hollow and solitarie places as many haue experimented to their great hurt For sometimes it happeneth that these diuels tumble great stones and whole rockes vpon them throw downe their engines ouerturne their ladders breake their cordage and doe a thousand other mischiefes whereby men are oftentimes slaine Concerning riuers wherein the graines and sands of gold are found the dangers are not so great therein but the paine is no lesse For if the riuer be little the Indians vse to emptie and let it out till it be dry and then take off the bottome thereof and wash it as beforesaid and if the water be verie great they turne it out of the channell which done they goe to gather the gold in the midst of the riuer betwixt the stones and great pibbles so that sometimes there commeth greater profit by this fishing then by washing the digged earth to separate the gold But howsoeuer yet is there great paines alwaies vsed to obtaine the riches of this mettall so much coueted by men and whereof the abuse is verie great as we may in some sort touch after that we haue spoken of other mettals which shall serue AMANA for the subiect of your discourse Of Siluer Amber Iron Lead Brasse and Copper Chap. 94. AMANA THE most noble amongst mettals next to gold is siluer for although that copper in colour and lead in waight do neerest approch vnto gold yet in tenuitie of substance in purenes and fastnes Of siluer siluer is so like vnto it that good siluer may be rightly said to be imperfect gold in substance failing in colour and that by succession of time it is sometimes changed
chrystal mixed with a purple colour and a golden lustre enclining to the colour of wine which is alwaies the last colour that doth present it selfe And yet one would say that this stone hath the head crowned with a purple chaplet and that it is confusedly tincted with all these foresaide colours and respectiuely with each of them Moreouer there is no stone more cleere then this and some say that it is verie good for the head and comfortable to the sight Nonius a Senatour of Rome did so loue an Opall that he had that he chose rather to be banished out of Rome then to giue it to Marcus Antonius carrying nothing with him of all his wealth but the ring onely wherein that stone was set Opals are found in many places of Egypt of Arabia and of the Indies but the best are brought from Zeila and Isle of East India which produceth them as great as walnuts But we must note that the Indians can counterfeit them so finely with simple glasse that it is an hard matter to discerne the natural from false ones yet their deceit is found in the sunne For holding betwixt the thumbe and fore-finger a false Opall against the sunne all the diuersitie of colours which seemed to be in this stone will turne into one But the naturall Opall changeth lustre euerie minute and spreadeth it heere and there so that the diuersitie of the colours thereof will shine vpon your fingers beeing holden as is saide and exposed to the Sunne Shall we say nothing of the Turkesse which is garnished with the colour of heauen and which hath admirable vertue Of the turkesse For it is of a skie colour and celestiall blewe and verie bright It is esteemed because that in the night it likewise looketh greene that part which is vpon the earth is marked with veines it is soft and not of too cold a substāce Also lime slaked laid vpon this stone seemeth to be blew and receiueth the colour of a precious stone It is commonly made bunching and swelling out like an eie and is found in this forme sowed and set along the rocks in many places of the Indies but the fairest Turkesses are in the kingdom of Rasigut And because of the difficultie to come to those places where they grow the inhabitants of the countrey beat them downe with staues in such sort that they fall with their earth and mosse and the people doe esteeme so much of them that they account them as their greatest riches and delight hanging them about their necks in manner of Carcanets It is no maruell then if these stones bee rare amongst vs for wee see no verie common trafficke made of them and yet they are much in request at this day Their vertue and propertie according to the report of some is verie maruellous For they say that the Turkesse being worne in a ring doth keepe a man from hurt that falleth yea though it be from his horse and that it receiueth all the blow and is oftentimes broken in pieces which is lesse credible then that which some also affirme that the vertue thereof doth resist poysons Now let vs speake of the Agath Of the agath which is the biggest of all such as are called precious stones But it is of so variable a kinde that one can scarcely thinke it to be one onely stone For the Agath is white red yellow ash-coloured greene black changeable blew in briefe the colours of all precious stones and of all other besides do concur in it And nature exerciseth so many fashions vpon it that we may see it represent forrests fields floods flowers trees Histories haue celebrated verie much the Agath of king Pyrrhus which represented the nine Muses with Apollo in the middest of them playing vpon his harp beeing all in sundrie garments in such sort as it seemed that nature did contend with the painter to carry away the price of such a representation Cardanus reporteth that hee had in his keeping two Agaths Lib. 7. de subt in one of which nature had painted the hemisphere of heauen the distinct circles with the round earth in the midst enuironed by the waters and in the other an open gulf of the earth seemed to breath out a fume that darkened the aire wherein this was most admirable that the colour of the smoke should seeme to differ from that of the aire which was thereby darkened this appearing white and thick and the aire reddish and somewhat cleere But though the agath bee noble and excellent for the varietie thereof yet because it is but little bright and shining it is but seldome esteemed to bee of great valew amongst precious stones Some doe attribute this propertie thereto to bee good against stingings of scorpiōs especially that Agath which is spotted with little graines of gold which the Isles of Candie and Sicilie doe produce The same vertue is attributed to the agaths of India and to refresh the sight much by but onely looking vpon them and they say that they staunch thirst beeing held neuer so short a while in ones mouth But enough of this now AMANA doe you looke to that which resteth for vs to consider vpon concerning these most precious stones that deserue to enrich our discourse Of Pearle Corall and Chrystall Chapter 98. AMANA IT is no maruel though pearles bee so much sought after in these daies by euery one for ornaments especially for women for of old they haue beene in such or more request so that while the Romaine empire flourished this was a common prouerbe That a woman could or might goe without pearles aswell as a consull might go without officers meaning thereby that pearles were an honor to women and made way to be giuen them in the street as the sergeants did for the consull before whome they marched Of pearle Pearle is placed among precious stones and is of great price beeing esteemed for whitenes splendor and roundnes and when it is found big polished and heauy then may it bee said to bee faire in all perfection But there are very few pearles that haue all these bewties conditions Concerning the generation thereof the ancient opinion hath euer beene that the pearle was engendred in shelles of fishes wherewith the Indian sea doth abound which engendring at one time of the yeere doe open and gape in the night time by that meanes filling themselues with dewe whereby they conceiue pearles which they make according to the qualitie of the dewe receiued if it bee cleere they are cleere if troubled so are they troubled and fowle if aboundant the pearles are great if scarce they are little Moreouer if it happen to thunder the shels shut togither for feare that they haue so that they haue no leasure to take in dewe enough whereby they remaine lanck and emptie as if they had fasted and thereof also pearles do proceed that are without substance and full of winde But marke what our French
swimme aboue water but chrystall sinketh to the bottome That chrystall is best which is white and cleere as water It melteth with verie great fire and doth conuert into glasse whereof there are verie faire vessels made In vertue it is restringent and is therefore good for such as are sicke of Dysenterias to drinke in good sharp wine after it is wel and subtilly beaten to powder The Ancients made a bowle of chrystall wherewith phisitions cauterized those which feared the fire and common fearing iron to do which they laide the same bowle directly toward the beames of the sunne by the reuerberation whereof they did their surgerie worke vpon the grieued part Now in this little which we companions haue declared concerning mettals and precious stones we may imagine that if there be sufficient matter to admire the effects of nature ordayned by the diuine prouidence what might we thinke if we should enterprise to speake of fiue hundred kindes of mettals earths and precious stones which the earth hideth within her bowels But sith that we haue attayned to the ende of our discourse which is to glorifie God in the knowledge and contemplation of his most noble creatures let vs aduise our selues how to giue some good instructions vpon that which hath beene deliuered concerning minerals and stones hidden vnder ground as ARAM you can declare vnto vs. Of the instructions that men must take in that gold and siluer are hidden vnder the ground and of their vse and abuse as also of precious stones Chapter 99. ARAM. AS God declareth a great and maruellous prouidence in all his creatures as we haue discoursed intreating vpon them so also doth he manifest it vnto vs in the creation of mettals especially of gold siluer which are esteemed for the most precious For we see how he hath hidden them in the most deepe places of the earth hath couered them with great and high mountaines so that to dig and draw them out of their profound caues men must therein so trauell as if they had enterprised to ouerturne and to transport these loftie hils from one place to another and to search and pierce through the earth from one side to another For how is it searched by such as worke in mines It is a maruell that they are not alreadie come vnto the Antipodes considering the deep pits gulfes and holes whereinto they are descended Iob. 28. Iob hauing spoken of gold and siluer doth presently make mention of the bounds of darknes and shadow of death And in verie truth they are things which doe fitly agree with these two minerals For they are hidden in verie obscure and darke places and couered with a verie thicke shadow yet cannot this limit the couetousnes and auarice of men notwithstanding that God hath sufficiently admonished them to moderate themselues seeing that he hath so hidden the gold and siluer which prouoketh their auarice making them so furious and insatiable And therefore I might verie well compare them to bruite beasts yea to a flocke of sheepe For although that they daily behold by many experiences Men compared to a flock of sheepe the calamities which fall vpon the world through auarice and especially vpon those which are entangled with this vice yet cannot one take example by another but doe all followe one by one like poore brute beasts and sheepe following one another when they are leade to that slaughter house or when there is some one amongst them that hath lead the way to the rest and hath made the first leape For what daunger soeuer there bee yea though it were to tumble headlong downewards into some bottomelesse pit it is sufficient if one begin the daunce for hee shall presently haue good companie yea such as there is not one of the whole troupe but will lustily rush after without thinking vpon any danger Who doth not see that it is euen so in mans life For according as some haue wickedly begun others pursue them and the latter cannot discouer their owne follie by that of the former nor yet correct it by so many examples as they haue of euill ends and pernicious euents which haue willingly fallen vpon the couetous For this cause the prophet hauing described the follie and presumption of men which thinke to build an eternity vnto themselues with temporall riches he addeth Their way vttereth their foolishnes Psal 49. yet their posteritie delight in their talke like sheepe they lie in the graue death deuoureth them See there the shepheard and the flock of the couetous death and the sepulchre Now our meaning is not here to blame the vse of gold and siluer but onely the abuse Of the right vse of gold and siluer For wee behold the great commodities that men haue by communicating one with another and mutuallie aiding one another in all that which is rare and exquisite amongst them and that by meanes of those mettals and mony that is coined thereof For so may they furnish themselues of all things necessary for their vse for their life and according to their wish not onely from one country to another but as wee may well say from one end of the world to another And if by their auarice they abuse not this great commoditie it wil bee much more profitable to all But their vnsatiable couetousnes of gaine is cause that the amiable communication and the good desire of one neighbor to profite another which should bee by meanes of gold and siluer is conuerted oftentimes into plaine robberie For their harts are so set on fire with loue of riches that they propose no other determination vnto themselues saue to heape vp treasures by a deceitfull meanes which neuerthelesse they doe neuer enioy in peace and content beeing no more able to settle their couetousnes and asswage their appetite then to quench a great fire with laying dry wood vpon it but that it wil alwaies encrease and enflame the more And to speake truth what is this gold and siluer but a little yealow and white earth And if there bee any difference it is onely in that the substance is more hardned and what doe they differ therein from the basest hard stones It is onely in colour Why then doe men trauaile and take great care to heap vp gold and siluer rather then to heap vp dust earth and stones But indeede this is much worse for they heap vp an vnhappy treasure when for earth and clay they gaine vnto themselues the treasure of the curse of God Abat 2. For it is written Cursed be hee that heapeth vp that which is not his how long will he lade himselfe with thick clay But what This clay so yealow and white firme and exquisite doth dazzle their eies more then any thing else and yet for all that it is but earth And therefore it is but opinion that causeth one thing to be esteemed more then an other For if men had giuen that value to other mettals
which they haue appointed to gold and siluer there would be almost no difference of the one from the other I say moreouer that if they had but equall regard to the vtilitie and nature of things according to the profit which they receiue thereby and the need which they haue therof they should more esteeme of iron brasse and copper then of gold and siluer considering that by iron the earth which nourisheth vs is plowed and arts and occupations mantained and that by it we defend our selues from the furie of beasts and enemies and of tinne and copper we make the most principall vtensils and tooles in our houses to boyle our victuals in and for other infinite vses In all these things then wee acknowledge the folly and want of iudgement in men who gouerne themselues more by opinion then by reason We may say as much concerning precious stones Of the vse and abuse of precious stones which they haue esteemed at a more high price then gold and siluer For how many crownes doe they oftentimes giue for one pearle or for a diamond or for some other stone If the fancie take them and that they doe but onely like some small precious stone then doe they spare gold and siluer no more then if they were dust and clay then that which they so much delight in and for to obtaine which they direct and gouerne their whole course of life yea and put it into all confusion is nothing with them in respect of a small iewell And what profit can redound vnto them by all this Nothing else but a vaine persuasion that induceth them to obtaine a stone of such and such woorth as it pleaseth them to esteeme it at If they would thinke as much of a flint a flint would no lesse content them If it be for the beautie and colour that they so account of this merchandize is there any thing fairer cleerer or cleaner then glasse nay then chrystall likewise the marble alablaster iasper and such like matters do they giue much place in beautie or hardnes to the most excellent precious stones If for their vertues and properties in phisicke they are so much respected why then they should buy nothing more deere not esteem of any thing more then of herbs and plants I speake not this to despise or condemne the vse of precious stones no more then of gold and siluer For God did not create them but for the seruice of man and that he might please himselfe with them as with all his other creatures Exod. 25.26.27.28 For it was his will that his temple and the vessels therein the garments of the high priest and the seruice by him ordayned in the church of Israël should be adorned and enriched with gold siluer and with precious stones Againe Dauid and Salomon and the other kings of Israel were neuer reprehended nor condemned because they did abound in such riches We doe not then condemne the vse but the abuse For God requireth that his creatures may be vsed according to his ordinance and so moderated that there be no excesse whereby he may be dishonored offended or our neighbour endomaged But it is an hard matter to heape vp great store of gold and siluer and to dispend so much vpon precious stones and other the pomps of the world but that great wrong must needs bee done to many persons or at least wise that the deeds of charitie for which we were borne must needs waxe verie slacke Loethen that which I haue thought worthy to instruct our selues in vpon our discourse this day concerning the richesse hiddē within the earth And sith that we haue in the twelue daies of our meeting entreated of the principall parts of all this visible world and of the creatures contained therein let vs now to conclude our discourse draw all these parts into one bodie to the ende that we may shew in this masse of the Vniuers and propose as it were before our eies the image of the greatnes puissance and maiestie of God by the which men may in contemplation consideration of his works learne to feare honor and put their whole trust and confidence in him as they ought which ACHITOB let vs heare you discourse vpon Of the doctrine and profit which euerie one must and may reape out of the totall workes of God in heauen and in earth to acknowledge and glorifie him Chap. 100. ACHITOB. IF we doe well consider vpon those goodly matters which wee haue heretofore entreated of touching the creation of the world and adorning thereof in euery part wee shall without doubtfeele our selues as it were lifted vp vpon an high scaffold where wee may behold and contemplate God our creator in the excellent workes of his hands and in the maruailous effects of his prouidence in such sort as if all this visible vniuers were a shop wherein wee doe see him worke before our eies or else as if hee were seated in a stately roiall palace wherein we behold him reigne vpon his celestiall throne ouer euery liuing soule or as in a goodly temple wherein the glory of his Maiestie shineth on euery side yea in euery creature which is therein as an image or mirrour to shew and manifest the creator and moderator of all things And indeede without this contemplation and knowledge for which we are borne and endued with reason let vs not thinke but that brute beasts haue more whereof to brag in regard of the world and of the beawtie and commoditie thereof and that they receiue more rest pleasure and profite thereby then men For they content themselues with that which they haue and care not for that which they cannot attaine vnto enioying all that which is needfull for them and that with pleasure and without excesse superfluitie or any hurt But men are to the contrary neuer content with their condition aspire euermore to that which they enioy not and which they might well let passe haue many times neede of that which is necessarie for them and receiue no pleasure but that which is mixed with some greefe and bitternes neither yet can they content themselues but that they must run into excesse to their great detriment This is that which hath enflamed vs with desire in the progresse of our worke to discourse vpon heauen and earth And hauing brought our intention to a desired end wee will here represent for the last point of our speech as wee did in the beginning thereof all the parts of the world in one bodie to declare in this great bodie of all the Vniuers and to propose as it were before our eies the image of the greatnes of the power and of the maiestie of God and of his infinitenes to the end that wee may all learne by the contemplation and consideration of this image to honour him and to put all our trust and confidence in him as wee ought to doe For this is the true doctrine and the great profite that
euery one must and may reape by the grace of God of this totall worke in heauen and in earth to the end to acknowledge and to glorifie him First then wee are to consider that not onely all that which wee haue declared concerning the workes of God in this great vniuers but also all that which the most learned euer could heretofore or hereafter euer may comprehend describe is nothing else but as a very light demonstration of some draught of his worke or of some corner of his magnificent pallace or of some small iewell of his inestimable treasures For sith hee hath created all these things and that the heauen is his seat and the earth his footstoole as Isay speaketh what may then bee the full perfection height and greatnes of himselfe Isay 66. It is as Iob saith in the highnes of the heauen it is deeper then hell Iob. 11. the measure thereof is longer then the earth and broader then the sea It is hee saith Isay againe who hath measured the waters with his hand and hath compassed the heauens with his palme and hath comprehended the dust of the earth with three fingers and hath poised the hanging of the mountaines Thereby then wee must learne that God is infinite and incomprehensible and so high and so great that all this visible world is nothing in comparison to him and that he doth containe and confine and surpasse it in euery side both aboue and below before and behinde on the right hand and on the left And that because wee cannot comprehend nor vnderstand what hee is the image of him was set before our eies in the heauens and in the earth and as in a glasse to represent vnto our vnderstandings him whom wee neither behold nor know except so far as it pleaseth him to represent himselfe vnto vs in his workes Lastly wee must learne that from the very first hower of our entrance into this world wee haue beene placed therein as in the temple of God to adore and praise him therein And in verie truth whosoeuer shall consider of and know God as hee hath manifested himselfe in the creation of the world shall not hee haue good and iust occasion to feare and stand in awe of him For as wee read in the booke of Iob If God cut off and shut vp or gather togither Iob. 12. 12. who can turne him And straight after In his hand is the soule of euery liuing thing and the breath of all mankinde On the other side shall not we be induced to haue recourse vnto him and to put our trust in him as in the Al-mightie who can saue and defend those whom he will take into his custodie and whom he will accept for his people and for his seruants and children Who so dwelleth in the secret of the most high saith the prophet shall abide in the shadow of the Al-mightie I will say vnto the Lord Psal 91. Oh mine hope and my fortresse in my God will I trust who will deliuer vs out of all trouble And to conclude we shall haue goodly matter whereby to giue him glorie and laude all the daies of our life by seruing him according to his holy will We shall be I say verie blinde and senselesse if we do not humble our selues vnder the greatnes of the puissance of God if we haue recourse vnto or put our confidence in any other but in him alone and if we do not acknowledge his great prouidence wisedome and bountie which he hath vsed euer since the beginning towards vs and the regard and care which he hath daily had of vs and how that he entreateth vs so benignly so tenderly and with such fatherly affection to the ende that we may render thanks vnto him For as we haue seene before that he created man he would prepare his lodging for him the which he did adorne with all beautie and with all riches and did afterwards place him in this world as in a most delectable palace made him Lord master ouer all his creatures of whom he hath prouided him such abundance in such variety that it is impossible to comprehend these or to desire more As it were then rauished in the consideration of so great bountie and liberalitie of God let vs crie out with the prophet Oh Lord our God Psal 8. how excellent is thy name in all the world What is man that thou art mindfull of him and the sunne of man that thou shewest him so much grace as to visite him and to take care of him And so giuing glorie vnto his name for so many benefits and particularly for that it hath pleased him to grant vs this grace as to reduce to a desired ende our Academicall discourses concerning his workes in the Vniuers let vs pronounce this goodly Canticle of the Angels Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hostes all the earth is full of thy glorie The ende if the twelfth daies worke and of all the third tome of the French Academie
to serue to such vses as it is fit for wherupon commeth that there are muskes very different in goodnes For there is but little brought to vs in true bladders of this perfect muske being ripe and gathered as before saide but all the flesh of this beast being beaten togither with the bones is commonly put into an old bladder and sold vs for pure muske Which we may verie well know in that we vsually finde little peeces of bone in our muske And yet this same thus prepared smelleth so sweetely that we may easily iudge how precious and exquisite the odour of the true and perfect muske is Of the Castoreum The Castoreum which proceedeth from the Beuer is also verie much esteemed for the vertue of the sent thereof This beast is as bigge as a dogge long gentle of blacke and a shining haire with a very long taile and feete like a goose hauing strong teeth and so sharpe that he vseth them as a sawe to sawe and cleaue timber whereof he maketh himselfe a lodging with marueilous cunning They are found neere to the riuer of Ister or Danubius and neere to the Rhine also and in many places of Africke In his stones doth lie a most exquisite licour which is proper to him And therefore Plinie reporteth Hist nat lib. 8. c. 30. that the Beuer feeling himselfe oppressed with hunters biteth off his stones with his teeth as if he knew wherefore he were pursued and that is it which Phisitions call Castoreum De subt lib. 10. Cardanus affirmeth that this beast is a kinde of Otter euen as house-wesels are a kinde of wilde wesels For saith he in one selfe same kinde of beasts nature doth by little and little conuert it selfe from small to great ones from foule to faire ones and from weake to strong ones Besides the Otter called by Plinie Lutra liueth commonly in the earth Of the Otter and in the water and hath haire softer then feathers and his stones are fit and profitable for the same that Castoreum is But as Matthiolus hath very well noted the vse of strange compositions doth bring many discommodities to those De Dios lib. 6. c. 25. which thinke to serue themselues therewith bicause they are either sophisticate or corrupted before they come to vs. And therefore he saith that the vse of ponticke or common Castoreum which is blacke with rottennes and putrefaction is very venemous But me thinketh companions that we stretch out too long our discourse concerning terrestriall beasts considering that we haue not vndertaken to write a perfect historie of them but only to set before our eies some of the most rare most excellent to make vs meditate vpon to admire the workes of God There are many authors out of which one may gather the entire knowledge of liuing creatures and especially out of Aristotle who hath described their nature in fiftie bookes by the commandement of Alexander the great and after him Plinie hath declared vnto vs in his naturall historie many things concerning the same subiect which were not knowne before Wherefore as when we entreated of the spheres meteors we referred al to the true astronomy philosophie of Christians so let vs now do as much vpon 〈◊〉 discourse concerning beasts reducing all that which we haue spoken to an inward meditation vpon the prouidence of God considering that the effects thereof do continually appeere in the commoditie profit and vtilitie which redound vnto vs by these creatures yea by the most venomous of them as ASER you may giue vs to vnderstand Of the right vse of venemous creatures and wilde beasts and of the iustice and bountie of God which shineth in them Chapter 89. ASER. VVE must needes beleeue for a principle that if sinne had not entred into the world there had neuer any creature beene hurtfull vnto man For hee had beene a peaceable Lord and master of all liuing things and all things had beene obedient vnto him if hee had beene obedient vnto God as he ought to haue beene Genes 7. We haue a cleere testimonie thereof after the fall of Adam in those beasts which came vnto Noah at the floud to enter and remaine within the ark with him Dan. 6. as also in those lions into whose denne Daniel was cast But as man hath beene very rebellious towards God not acknowledging him for his Lord according as duty did require him euen so all creatures which should shew obedience to man not onely haue beene and are rebellious towards him but do also many times make war against him and do greatly annoy him euen according as it pleaseth the soueraine Lord to chastice and punish the sinnes of men by the meanes of them In this sort then must wee thinke vpon venemous and cruell beasts who doe not onely seeke to hurt vs but doe also serue the wicked wherewith to compound their poisons For wee behold how God hath created many and diuers kindes of them who beeing good in their nature insomuch as they haue all beene created by God and in that hee is a worker who cannot performe any euill busines they doe neuerthelesse oftentimes greatly hurt men in steade of ministring aide vnto them yea they do sometimes also worke their death And therefore wee must consider that the fault doth not proceed from the creature created good but from the sinnâ—â—…n beeing punished by the iust iudgement of God by such scâ—â—â—ges of his iustice as it pleaseth him to make choise of the worke neuerthelesse which he hath done by his creatures remaining good insomuch as it serueth to chastice those who do deserue it Of the diuers vses of venemous beasts There are in earth and in the sea many very venemous beasts who by their poison kill men as are serpents vipers scorpions and such like And although it may seeme that these creatures haue beene created onely but to doe hurt yet hath not God giuen their beeing without good and iust reason For hee hath so well disposed all things that venims and poisons themselues serue very well for many other vses then to kill and impoison for they are profitable and necessarie in many occasions and serue for medicines and remedies in diuers accidents And concerning their particular effects which turne to the dommage of man besides that which wee haue said that they are instruments of the diuine vengeance vpon sinne God will thereby moreouer make them acknowledge and perceiue their infirmity and what all humaine power is when it riseth vp against his maiestie and that men thinke to resist him For who may bee so dull and disfurnished of reason that cannot vnderstand how vnsure their life is and how feeble their force and power considering that there needeth but some small venemous herb or some little portion of other venim and poison or the stinging of some small beast or the biting of some others which are but as wormes creeping vpon the earth I doe not onely