be thought of the whole earth and this is not a changing but a dissevering of such things as were mingled together Plato affirmes that the earth is also severed by the sharpnesse of the fire and being so dissolved is elevated and carryed away in the fire So likewise in the masse of the Aire when Aire dissolves it and in the water when it is dissolved in the water Moreover Plato mentioneth another division of the Elements affirming every one of them to have three Qualities The fire to have sharpnesse rarenesse and motion The Element which is directly in the extreame thereunto that is to say the earth to have dulnesse thicknesse and rest So in respect of these Qualities the earth and the fire be cleane contrary to each other whereas they were not so by those two qualities whereof we had formerly spoken He holdeth likewise that by qualities taken from the two extreames those Elements were made which are in the middle betweene these two For saith he two qualities to wit rarenesse and motion being taken from the fire and one that is to say dulnesse being assumed from the Earth Aire is thereof composed whose effecting Qualities are rarenesse motion and dulnesse In like manner two Qualities are taken from the earth namely dulnesse and thicknesse and one from the fire to wit motion whereof proceeds water which getteth also his forme by thicknesse dulnesse and motion Therefore the same that sharpnesse is in respect of dulnesse the same is fire in respect of aire such as rarenesse is in respect of thicknesse such is aire in respect of water That which motion is in respect of rest that water is in respect of earth Look what fire is in respect of aire the like is aire in respect of water And as aire is in respect of water so is water in respect of earth For it is the nature of things having a plaine thin ground to bee held together by one medium that is to say by a proportion betweene them whereas firme and sollid Bodies are not kept fast together but by two mediums There are yet other qualities ascribed unto the Elements Namely to the earth and water WEIGHTINESSE whereby they doe naturally incline downeward and to aire and fire LIGHTNESSE whereby they are naturally given to mount upward The Stoicks have moreover another way of dividing the Elements for some they affirme to be active and some passive By active they meane the more stirring Elements such as are the fire and the aire By passive they understand the duller Elements that is to say the earth and water But Aristotle besides these Elements bringeth in a Fifth BODIE which he tearmes Aethereall and this bee fancies to bee a BODIE having in it a circular motion because it pleaseth him not to say that the heavens are composed of the foure Elements And he calls the Fifth a Body moved circularly because it is as he imagines caried circularly round about the earth Plato is of another opinion and affirmes directly that the heavens are made of fire and of earth His words are these Every bodily shape which is made must be visible and subject unto touching but nothing can bee visible without some fire in it not subject unto touching without some firmenesse nor can any thing be firm without earth And therupon in the beginning God caused the body of the whole world to bee composed of earth and fire Now it is not possible that two things alone should bee made to unite and agree well together without a third which must be as it were a band betweene them to bring them both together and of all bands that is the chief which can most perfectly bring into an unity both it selfe and such things as are united by the same And this the nature of proportion doth best performe By the band here mentioned hee intends the two middle-Elements taken according to the proportion whereof we spake before SECT 3. I. The opinion of the Hebrewes and of Apollinarius touching the making of the heavens and of the earth II. Arguments out of Hippocrates against Thales Anaximenes and Heraclitus who say that there is but one onely Element III. The body being an instrument for the soul is made fit for the operations thereof THe Hebrewes in their opinions concerning the making of the heavens and the earth differ so much from all others that but few have conceived thereof as they doe For they affirme that they were created of no fore existing matter according to Moses who said In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth But Apollinarius thinks that God made the heaven and the earth of the depth of waters For Moses in his description of the worlds creation doth not so make mention of the depth of waters as if it had beene created but in Iob these words are to bee found He made the depth of waters Therefore hee affirmed that all other things were made out of that as out of a matter common to all Hee doth not say that this depth of waters was never made but that it was laid downe by the Creator as a foundation before any other bodily-thing was made that other things might bee made thereof For the very name of depth declares the infinitenesse of the matter And indeed whether it bee this or that way taken it is not much materiall For even by this opinion also God is confessed the sole Creator of all things and that hee made every thing of nothing Now there bee some who say that there is but one onely Element either Fire or Aire or Water For Thales affirmes that fire only Anaximenes that aire onely and Heraclitus with Hipparchus Metapontinus that water onely is an Element against whom it shall be sufficient to alleage what Hippocrates hath said in that behalfe If saith he MAN were composed but of one onely thing hee could never feele any griefe For hee being but One thing nothing could procure paine unto him or if hee should feele any griefe there could be but one thing which might heale him For that which feeleth griefe must needs bee in a mutation with some sense And if there bee but one Element there can then bee nothing whereinto the living-creature should be changed And if it were not altered but continued setled in the same state it could not possibly feele paine though it were never so sensible He saith further It is necessary that the thing which any body suffereth should proceed from some other thing but if there bee but one onely Element there can be no quality beside the quality of one Element whereby the living-creature may be afflicted And if neither can bee changed nor suffer any thing how can it bee grieved After hee had thus declared the impossibility thereof he supposeth neverthelesse the same to be granted and thereupon thus inferreth Grant saith hee it could suffer griefe and then it will follow that there is but one thing onely which can cure the same but experience
void not urine And creatures which have thick shells are destitute of so many members that some of them have but few appearances of being living-creatures There bee also some living-creatures which although they have such things as are in our bodies yet seeme to want them As the Stag which seemes to have no choller because hee hath it not in one place but so dispersed abroad in his entrailes that it is no where apparant But MAN hath all the parts of a living-creature every part also perfect and all in so goodly order that it could not possibly have beene better composed Beside their want of some parts there is likewise among other living-creatures much difference in the scituation of the parts For some have their dugs in the breast some on their bellies and some under their thighes Some againe have two dugs some foure and some have more Nature hath so provided for the most part that the number of dugges is answerable to the number of young-ones which every creature brings forth at a time But let him that would bee more exactly informed of these things reade the hystory which Aristotle hath written of living-creatures For it pertaineth not unto the discourse which I now purpose to treate at large of such things but only to point at them or to speak briefly of them CAP. 5. SECT 1. I. Of the foure Elements of their simple and mixt Nature of their foure qualities Heat Cold Moisture and Drinesse of their contrarieties and of the meanes of uniting them into one body II. Of the Circular motion and changeablenesse of the Elements one into another and a reason why God made them of such a nature III. The opinion of Aristotle concerning the nature of the Ayre c. GOe we now on to the Elemēts which are consequently to be next handled in this Treatise An Element of the world is a most small part in the composition of bodies They are these foure Earth water ayre and fire and if you begin at the lowest and so passe to the highest body of them they are placed in such order as I have named them The bodies of these Elements are the first bodies and simple bodies in respect of other bodies And every Element is of the same kinde with those things whose Element it is For principles as matter forme and privation are not of the same kinde with the things which are made of them But an Element is necessarily of the same kinde Now it is manifest that these foure Earth water ayre and fire are the Elements and it is as evident that the foure first qualities that is to say Hot cold moist and dry bee in those Elements in the highest degree both potentially and actually also And yet there is not one of these Elements which we can discerne by our senses to bee altogether void of temperature and mixture with some other Element For indeed all those which wee are sensible of are in a sort somewhat counterfeit and participate each of other more or lesse even when in their mixture their severall natures continue most apparant Moreover every one of these Elements hath two coupled qualities which constitute the species or nature of it For EARTH is dry and cold WATER is cold and moist AIRE is hot and moist and FIRE is hot and dry Yet these qualities by themselves cannot be Elements For qualities are void of bodie and of things incorporeall things corporeall cannot be made Neither is it possible that other bodies should be actually Elements w ch have not actually each of these qualities in the highest degree For if those things which have these qualities more or lesse should bee Elements there would be an infinite number of Elements and we should never bee able to discerne the Elements of each particular thing because every thing hath some quality in it more or lesse It followes therefore necessarily that every Element is a BODIE and a simple-body and such a one as hath actually in it in the highest degree these qualities HEAT COLD MOISTURE and DRINESSE because of all qualities these onely and no other doe make a whole change in the whole substance Whitenesse comming neare unto a Body cannot make it white thorow and thorow as wee say neither can such a change bee wrought by any other thing whereas Heat or cold can warme or coole a body not onely superficially but quite throughout the same Those Elements are accounted contraries which are directly contrary to one another in both their qualities Thus WATER is contrary to FIRE For water is cold and moist and Fire is hot and dry In like maner EARTH is contrary to AIRE For Earth is cold and dry and Aire is hot and moist And forasmuch as things which are so repugnant could not bee fitly joyned one unto another without a middle-band ordained to knit them together The wise Creator hath placed water as a meane between the Earth and the Aire which are contraries induing it with her two qualities cold and moist that being the medium betweene those which extreamely differ they might be united thereby For by reason of the cold it agrees naturally with the earth and by meanes of moisture it is fitly joyned unto the aire Againe in the middle betweene the water and the fire which are also contraries in themselves hee hath placed the aire which by his moist-qualitie doth very well accord with water and with fire by the quality of heat Thus God hath linked every one of them each to other as in a chaine by placing betweene things contrary such other things as may both unite the said contraries to themselves and to such things also as are bound one to another by them Yea which is an excellent kind of band hee hath joyned together every one of the Elements by the one of his qualities to that which went before and by the other to that which followed after For example the water being cold and moist is joyned unto the earth which if you beginne at the lowest and ascend is next beneath it by his coldnesse and by his moisture to the aire which is next above it The aire likewise by the moistnes of it is joyned to the water which is next beneath it and by heat to the fire which is above it The fire also by the heat thereof is joyned to the aire which is beneath it and by drynesse to the earth to which being the lowest it declineth it selfe as it were in a circular motion The earth by coldnesse is united to the water and by drynesse to the fire which declineth towards it For that the Elements should not have onely an inclination to ascend and descend directly upward and downeward but incline also to a circular motion God bowed them as it were and made the two extreame Elements fire and earth to turne one toward the other For the fire if it lose heat is no longer fire but becommeth earth as is manifestly proved by thunder-bolts which being thrown
downe and cooled are converted into stones For every thunder-bolt consists of stone and brimstone The stone is as it were the brimstone over-baked Brimstone is as it were fire cooled and no more actually hot but having a neare possibility of heat and being also actually dry For the Elements only have the qualities actually wheras all other things have them but in possibility except they come near unto some Elements But to the end that neither the Elements should faile nor the Bodies which are to be compounded of those Elements the Creator did providently devise that they should be convertible both one into another and also into compound-bodies and that the compound-bodies should be againe resolved into their Elements By which meanes it commeth to passe that they are continually engendered one of another and perpetually preserved from being wasted For Earth being first dissolved into a mirie moistnesse becommeth water Water being thickned and congealed becommeth earth Water also being heated and resolved into vapours vanisheth into aire Aire being collected and condensed is turned into water The same aire being dryed changeth into fire Fire if it be quenched and water also if it be evaporated become aire For aire is the quenchings of fire and the moisture arising from water being heated even by both of these is the aire generated For experience doth shew us that whensoever fire is quenched or water heated aire is encreased thereby Therefore aire is naturally hot and cooled by being scituated so neare unto the water and the earth which coole the lower parts thereof as the fire heateth also the upper parts of the same And this hapneth unto the aire by reason of the softnesse thereof and the easinesse which it hath to receive impressions makes it quickly depart from its proper nature and very apt to be changed But Aristotle is of opinion that there bee two sorts of aire one like unto vapours and generated by the exhalations of waters The other smoakie and bred out of the fire when it is quenched The aire which commeth of smoke he conceiveth to bee hot and that also which proceedeth from vapours when it is first bred but in continuance of time that aire as he saith cooleth by little and little untill it is converted into water This supposition of Aristotles that the aire is of two sorts was by him devised that he might escape some absurdities which he knew not otherwise how to avoid and that things which are somewhat high and farre distant from the earth might seeme hot and that such as are very low might seeme colder SECT 2. I. Of the uniting of the Elements into a naturall body what maner of composition it is and why those bodies are againe resolved into Elements II. Plato's opinion concerning the Element of earth as also concerning the other three Elements III. Of the division of the Elements according to the Stoicks The opinion of Aristotle touching a fifth body out of which hee thinkes the heavens were made and of the contrary opinion of Plato NOw all Bodies are made by the conjunction of these foure Elements both the Bodies of Plants and of living-creatures also to the composition of which bodies nature drawes together the purest parts of those Elements These are called by Aristotle naturall bodies being compounded not by heaping of the Elements one upon another but by tempering all together throughout the whole so much of every Element as is in the Body in the uniting therof and by making of them one certaine BODIE differing from what they were before that composition For they are so united that impossible it is to sever them or to see Earth by it selfe or Water alone or Ayre or Fire distinctly from the rest because one intire thing and a thing differing from the Elements is made by the tempering of all foure of them together As a medicine consisting of foure Ingredients being once made up is a thing differing from those Ingredients But yet the composition of a naturall body is not in all things like those artificiall composures For the Elements do not make the bodies by the scituation of the thinnest parts one by another as it falleth out in a medicine compounded of foure ingredients but it is effected rather by altering themselves and by uniting of all into One. All Bodies are again resolved also into these Elements by which means it commeth to passe that all the Elements remaine continually unwasted and are kept sufficient for the making of all things in regard they neither are diminished nor abound And from hence arises this generall proposition That the generation of one thing is the corruption of another And the corruption of one the generation of another not referring this perpetuity to the Soul as is aforesaid but to the Bodie onely Plato is of opinion that the three other Elements are changed one into each other and that the Earth remains altogether without mutation as may appeare by his comparing of the firmnesse of figures consisting of streight-lines with every Element To the Earth he compares the figure called a Cube because of all other figures that is least moveable The figure Icosaedron which is hardliest moved of all the rest and consisting of twenty bases he likeneth unto water The Pyramide whose motion is easiest of all the rest he resembleth to fire And Octaedron the figure consisting of eight bases hee compareth unto the Aire whose motion is easier then that of the water and more hard then fire By these figures he endevors to prove demonstratively that the three other Elements are changed one into another but that no change hapneth to the Earth For saith he three of these figures that is to say the Pyramide the Octaedron and the Icosaedron are made of Triangles whose sides are unequall whereas the Cubicall figure is made of Triangles whose sides are equall now things which are made of Triangles whose sides are unequall being dissolved and meeting together again may be changed into another but the Cubicall-figure being dissolved cannot be changed into any other because it is made of equall-sided Triangles whereof none of the other three can be made In like manner none of the other figures can be changed into a Cube And for these reasons it is necessary that the Bodies formed of these species and the species whereof they are formed should in respect of one another be such as they were And yet the Earth remaineth not altogether impassible but is divided by bodies having thinner parts then it selfe being after a manner altered from Element to Element and yet not changed into those things which doe divide it For when it is recollected againe unto it selfe it recovereth the state which it formerly had as appeares by it in the water For if you cast a little earth into the water and stir it often up and down that earth dissolves into water but if you leave stirring of the same the water settles and the earth sinks to a residence The like is to
one of his parts and seeing every inferiour compound bodie is composed of the foure Elements it is necessary that such things should happen unto him as the Elements are subject unto That is to say Cutting mutation and flowing By mutation I mean mutation in Qualitie and I terme it Flowing when he is emptied or purged of such things as are in him For a living creature hath alway his evacuations both by such pores as are manifestly seene and by such also as we see not whereof I shall speake hereafter It is necessary therefore that so much should be taken in again as was evacuated seeing else the living creature would perish through defect of what should re-enter to supply the want And if the things evacuated be either dry or moist or spirits it is as necessary that the living creature should have a continuall supply of dry and moist nourishments and of spirits The meats and drinks which wee receive are made of those Elements whereof we also are composed for every thing is nourished with what is agreeable and like unto it and in diseases we are cured with what is contrary to the disease There he some of the Elements which we sometime receive into our Bodies immediately of thēselves and sometime use means unto the receiving of them as for example we somtime receive water of it self sometime wee use Wine and Oyle and all those that are called moist fruits as means to the receiving of water For wine is nothing else but a certain water comming from the Vine and so or so qualified In like manner we partake of Fire sometime immediately as when we are warmed by it sometime also by the means of such things as we eate and drink for all things containe in them some portion of Fire more or lesse We are in like case partakers of Aire either immediately when we breathe it and have it spread round about us or draw it in by our eating and drinking or else by meanes of such other things as we receive into us But as for the Earth we seldome or never receive it immediately but by certain meanes For we eate the corn which commeth of the earth Larks Doves and Partridges feed oftentimes upon the earth but Man usually feedeth on the earth by the means of feeds fruits berries and by the flesh which proceedeth from things nourished by the Earth And forasmuch as God respecting not onely a decencie but also the furnishing of us with a very quick sense of feeling in which man exceedeth all other living creatures he hath clothed us neither with a tough skin as Oxen and other beasts that have a thicke hide neither with large thicke set haire as goats hares and sheepe neither with scales as fishes and serpents neither with hard shells as Tortoises and Oysters neither with a more fleshie bark as Lobsters neither with feathers as birds and therefore wanting these coverings it is necessary wee should have Raiment to supply that in us which nature hath bestowed on other living creatures These are the causes why wee stand in need of nourishment and clothing And not onely for the same ends are our houses become necessary but also that wee may escape the violence of wilde beasts which is none of their least commodities Moreover by reason of the distemperature of qualities in the humane body Physitians and their art are likewise needfull that thereby as often as occasion requires those things which are rent asunder may be fastned againe together for the preservation of health And whereas the alteration consisteth in the quality it is necessary that wee bring the state of the body to a just temperature by the contrary Quality For it is not the Physitians purpose as some think to coole the Bodie which hath beene in a heat but to change it into a temperate estate seeing if they should coole it the disease turneth not to health but to the contrary sicknesse Now in regard of Arts and Sciences and by the necessarie use which we have of such things as they accomplish it so commeth to passe that we need the mutuall assistance one of another and by that need which wee have each of other many of us assembling together in common doe thereby the more conveniently bargaine and contract for such things as may serve to supply the necessities of life This meeting and dwelling together was anciently termed by the name of a Citie by the neere neighbourhood whereof men received aid and profit by each others arts labours without the discommodities of long and far Travaile For Man was naturally made to be such a living creature as should be sociable delighted in neighbourhood And forasmuch as men could not otherwise be so conveniently provided of useful things it is evident that the study of Arts and the necessity of traffick were the first occasions of erecting Cities SECT 4. I. Of the two Priviledges which MAN hath obtained above all other Creatures viz. to be capable of the Forgivenes of sinnes and Immortalitie the Justice and Mercy of GOD in vouchsafing the pardon of sinne of MAN and denying the same to Angels II Man only is a creature capable of learning Arts and Sciences A Definition of Man and Reasons justifying every branch of that Definition III. The World was not made for the Angels nor for any other but MAN onely To him was committed the government of the Vniverse with a limitation to use not abuse the Creatures THere are also two Priviledges which Man hath specially gotten above all other One is to obtaine pardon by Repentance the other is that his body being mortall should be brought to immortalitie This priviledge of the body he getteth by meanes of the soul and the priviledge of the soul by reason of the bodie Yea among Reasonable creatures Man only hath obtained this Peculiar that God vouchsafeth him the pardon of sin upon repentance For neither the Devils nor the Angels are vouchsafed pardon though they doe repent Hereby the most exact Iustice and admirable mercy of GOD is both fully proved and evidently declared For good cause is there why pardon should not bee granted to Angels though they doe repent because there is nothing in them which naturally allures or draws them to sin and in regard also that they of their own nature are free from all passions wants and pleasures of the body But MAN though hee be indowed with Reason yet hee is also a bodily living creature and therefore his wants in that hee is such a living creature together with his passions do often blinde and captivate his reason And therefore when he returnes againe by repentance and applies himselfe unto vertue he obtaineth mercy and forgivenesse For as it is proper to the Essence of MAN to have the ability of laughing because it agreeth to man only to all men and ever to man so in respect of those things which proceed from the grace of God it is proper unto Man above all Creatures
been inclined to eate the flesh of one another so that no kindes of them could feed on any thing else but on the flesh of themselves verily they could not have long continued no not for a small time but would have beene utterly destroyed some of them each by other and the rest for lacke of meat To the intent then that it might not so happen certaine Fishes were so made that they might abstaine from the flesh of the rest and feed if I may so tearme it on the grasse of the Sea that by them the other sorts of fishes might be preserved These fishes feed upon weedes other fishes feed upon them Those againe are food for other greater fishes So by the feeding on such fishes as last of all doe eate the weeds of the Sea which come of the slimie waters the substance of the rest of the fishes is successively continued Having reasonably demonstrated that the Plants were not created in respect of themselves but in regard of the nonrishment and nature both of Men of other living-creatures it will be thereby manifest that such things also were made in respect of Man and other living-creatures which are meanes and causes of the encrease and preservation of those interiour things And if that be so it will be as apparant that the motions of the starres the firmament the seasons of the yeare the showers and all such like things were made in respect of those things without life afore-mentioned and to the end that nourishment being continually administred unto them the nature of such fruits might be perpetuated and that Men and living-creatures also for whom those were ordained might bee preserved by them It resteth not to consider whether the nature of unreasonable creatures was made in respect of it selfe or for MAN's cause and sure it cannot but be very absurd to affirme that things incapable of understanding and living only by an instinct of Nature yea things groveling toward the earth and by their very shape declaring their bondage should be brought into the world for their owne sake Much might be spoken to prove the contrary even so much as would spin out this one point to the length of a Treatise if I should handle the same at large and therefore I will briefly mention in this place those things onely which are of greatest weight By seriously considering as it were in a glasse or image those things which are without us by such things as are within us we should make a plain demonstration hereof yea and by considering the very substance of the things themselves which are in question For if wee ponder in our minde that part of our selves which is irrationall and the parts thereof I mean appetite and anger which are ordained to serve the Reasonable-part wee shall there see that Reason ruleth and that the unreasonable-parts are ruled that Reason commandeth and that the other are commanded and serviceable to such uses as Reason will have them to bee subject unto if MAN preserve that cōdition which doth naturally appertaine unto him Now then if our part which is reasonable doth beare rule over our unreasonable-parts which are within us seemeth it not much more probable that our reasonable-part should have dominion over such unreasonable-things as are without us and that such things were ordained to serve our necessities especially seeing it is according to the law of Nature that the unreasonable shold be subject to the reasonable as hath beene declared by those things which are in our selves This may bee further manifested by considering that divers creatures are made even fit for the necessary services of MAN For Oxen and all bearing cattell are naturally fitted for the tillage of the earth and for bearing of burthens Sundry other beasts of the field also and many fishes and soules for dainty feeding yea and singing-birds for our delight and recreation And al-beit all things doe not alwayes serve to such pleasing uses but that there are some which may seeme rather to harm and destroy man it is to be considered that when those things were created the speciall end of whose creation was at first for man's service all other things which might be otherwise usefull were then created also that in the Creation there might bee no defect or want of such things whereof there might bee afterward any use Neither were such things as are now accounted harmfull exempted utterly from the profitable fruition of man but he by reason doth or may fruitfully employ to his advantage even the most venomous things For hee useth poisonous creatures to the curing of such harmes as come by those and other venomous beasts and to the curing of many infirmities other wayes occasioned Such are the confections called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof our Triacle is one sort which reason hath invented that by their owne power those things might be made to cōquer themselves and procure health and safety as it were from conquered enemies Man hath also many other things of great vertue given unto him by his Creator which being contrary to those mischievous things have in them a power to withstand or qualifie their virulent operations to remedy their hurts and to defend him from their secret assaults One thing serveth to one use other things to other uses and God hath so provided that all things should bee helpfull for the benefit and preservation of Man yea and some things there be which are serviceable no way else SECT 6. I. He sheweth why the creatures are now harmfull to MAN seeing all things were at first created for his benefit Exemplary demonstrations intimating how this mischiefe might be remedied II. A briefe Elogium in praise of the excellent nature and prerogatives of MAN III. This chapter is concluded with a short exhortation that a thankfull use be made of the high favours vouchsafed unto MAN THat which hath beene formerly said touching the harme which MAN receiveth somtimes from the unreasonable-creatures hath respect onely to the present condition of Mankinde in this life for if we looke back to the first time which was long ago wee shall finde that none of the irratinall-creatures durst to be offensive unto MAN but that all of them were subject unto him faithfully serving and obeying him so long as he did master his owne passions and subjected his unreasonable-parts to the part-reasonable And when hee gave the reines to his owne affections not subduing them to reason but suffered himselfe to be over-mastered by the brute desires which were within him it was very just that as it hath since hapned he should be over-awed by the wilde-beasts and by such other harmefull things as are without him For after MAN had sinned then began those beasts to be hurtfull unto him which had else been serviceable as may yet appeare true by those who have lived a supereminent life and thereby prevented the mischievous assaults of such creatures Of this Daniel and Paul are exemplary witnesses for neither