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
doe proceede But when the winde or vapour inclosed in the cloudes will needes get out by force then this causeth thunder And if there come out fire which breaketh the cloud then is it lightning But when these inflamed vapours doe shew foorth a long traine of their fire out of the cloud then this is that which we call a flash of lightning Whereupon ensueth that these lightning-flashes cleaue the cloudes but the fire of thunder teareth and renteth them and causeth them to cracke But referring these arguments to Philosophers we may fitly say that the true cause of thunder is the winde inclosed which seeketh to issue out Of the difference of heat But that which is most admirable therein is the great violence of the flashes thereof the strange accidents which happen by the fire thereof For it doth not onely pierce more then any other fire by reason of the passing swift motion thereof but it is much hotter then all other fire For it is to be noted that there is a difference in heate and that not onely by reason of the matter one fire is hotter then another as that which is in the iron is hotter then that which is in straw and that which is in oken wood is hotter then that which is in willow but euen as in ice we find some scarcely frozen othersome hard and other againe very hard so is there in fire that is scarce fire as when the iron beginneth to waxe somewhat red and another fire that is shining and other that shines very bright Wherefore we must note that fire exceeds in heate and in force sixe manner of waies 1. By nature as I haue said for the most ardent burneth quickest and soonest 2. By the soliditie of the matter as that which is in iron 3. By motion for therby it is made more piercing 4. By greatnes either proper to it selfe or caused by continuance of time which is common to euery fire 5. By hindrance of respiration and by constraint togither as is manifest in lyme which is kindled with water for the heate being gotten in and hid in the fornace being of the kinde of fire is enclosed and gathered within the lyme so that it returneth into fire by the motion and mixture of the water Now the constrained motion must not onely penetrate very much but also it enkindleth heat and as I haue declared it maketh one fire hotter then another And therefore it may be no great woonder Of the violence and force of thunder if the lightning of thunder be of very much force and violence and that the fire thereof being very different from the nature of other fires doth effect strange things For it is not onely more pearcing by reason of the quicke motion thereof but it is also much hotter then all other fire Whereupon it commeth that it can kill any kinde of creature by the onely touch thereof And sometimes the purse remaining whole and sound it melteth the money that is therein which is not fabulous as many thinke nor yet on the other side very much to be admired For that which hurteth doth corrupt either by meanes of the quantitie or for the long continuance thereof And therefore the thunder-fire which is most subtile breaketh not the purse for by reason that it hath very quicke motion it staieth not on it and therefore cannot it endommage it so Moreouer as the aire doth demonstrate vnto vs that by reason of the subtilitie thereof it passeth thorough the purse without any resting vpon it and entreth thereinto filling it when it is emptie though it be fast shut which coulde not be if it found not passage through insensible waies and holes sith the mouth of the purse is very close shut So likewise one little sparke of thunder-fire far more subtile then the aire may easily enter into the purse where finding mettall it fasteneth thereon and staieth therein causing it to melt by the extreme violence and sudden force thereof So then the solid bodies as iron siluer and gold are by so much the sooner spoiled and molten by the lightning by how much they doe more withstand and make resistance against it But in those bodies which be rare full of holes soft and weake the thunder passeth quicke ouer them without hurting them as is seene in the garments that men weare and in very drie wood For other wood burneth by reason that the moisture which remaineth therein doth resist and kindle Whereupon it followeth if we beleeue Plutarch that such as sleepe are neuer stroken with thunder bicause that the sleeping man is loose and becommeth soft and vnequall and in manner dissolued with his pores open as if his spirit failed and left him so that the lightning findeth no such resistance in him as it would doe if he were awake Whereunto this may be also added that he which sleepeth hauing no feare astonishment nor dread in him is by this meanes oftentimes defended from thunder For it is certaine that many haue died with feare onely and apprehension which they haue taken thereof without suffering any violence Wherefore considering that the sense of hearing is of all other senses the most subiect to suffer violent passions and that feares and dread which proceede of noise doe bring the greatest trouble to the soule thereupon he which waketh and apprehendeth very much becommeth bound and thicke in his bodie so that the lightning falling vpon him giueth a greater blowe and a ruder stroke in so much as it findeth greater resistance Meruailous effects of thunder It is woonderfull to consider the strange cases that many authors report to haue happened through thunder But amongst all that is very admirable which Iulius obsequius reciteth of the daughter of Pompeius Lionis a knight of Rome For she returning from certaine plaies and turnayments celebrated at Rome was suddenly stroken from hir palfrey with a thuÌ„derclap stark-dead without apparance of any wound or fracture of member But when hir father caused hir to be stript to burie and interre hir they perceiued hir toong to come foorth at the bottome of hir wombe whereby they knewe that the thunder and fire had stroken hir directly through the mouth and so had issued out at the lower passage a thing exceeding fearefull and woorthie of great maruell That which Du Bartas the honour of the Poets of our age hath written in his no lesse learned then Christian weeke to haue beene seene of the effects of thunder by a woman though it may rather minister cause of laughter then of sorrow yet is it very maruellous For he recounteth that the flame sindged away all the haire about this womans secrets at one instant without doing her any harme But omitting these discourses I will note certaine particularities which some philosophers affirme touching thunder They say then Colomnâ—â— and the keeles of ships exempt from the danger of thunder that it neuer or very seldome toucheth pillars nor the keeles of
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
diuersitie of waters Which ARAM I would haue you to discourse of Of salt fresh and warme waters and of other diuersities in them Chapter 59. ARAM. ACcording to the nature of the most woonderfull workes of God in all that which he hath created the maruels are innumerable which may be considered in the sea and in all the waters which proceede out of it and returne into it without any increasing or diminishing in it selfe as we haue already heard And if there were no other thing but that the waters of the sea are alwaies salt and other waters are for the most part fresh would not that be sufficient to teach vs to acknowledge the great power wisedome and bountie of the creator and how puissant he is in all his workes For though that all waters are of one nature as making vp one onely element yet doth he make them of diuers qualities according as he knoweth how to purifie distill and purge or else to mingle and mix them Of the diuers qualities of water and of the prouidence of God therein with his other creatures Whereupon it falleth out that wee haue not onely salt waters in the sea but that there are some found also in fountaines yea oftentimes very neere to other springs of fresh water Wherein the prouidence of God declareth it selfe to bee verie great For if all waters were salt men and beasts could not liue nor the earth fructifie and nourish the fruits thereof because that liuing creatures cannot want fresh water whether it be for their drinke or for their other necessary commodities neither is salt water fit to water the earth considering that salt makes it barren On the other side if all waters were fresh where might men finde salt enough to suffice them for the necessarie commodities of their life For although that there bee some salt-mines and some salt-ground as appeareth by the salt waters of fountaines which passe through such grounds yet the best meanes to haue good salt and in abundance is by the waters and chiefly by sea water What may we say also of so many sorts of water whereof some participate with Sulphure some with allom others with iron or brasse or with other mettals or minerals which do heat some of them in such sort as men make naturall bathes of them hauing diuers vertues and powers which serue for medicines in many kindes of diseases Why the sea-water is salt Now the Philosophers doe much straine themselues to declare the causes of so many maruellous effects For some say that the sunne which is the greatest of all planets drying vp by his heat the moisture of the water and burning and sucking vp all the humiditie of the earth doth by this decoction cause the sea to become salt because the force of the solarie fire doth attract vnto it the most fresh and subtile part of the water making the more heauie and thicke part that remaineth to be salter and of more substance whereof it commeth that the water towards the sea bottome is fresher then that which is aboue Others alleage three efficients which both cause and continue the saltnes to wit the heat of the sunne for the foresaid reasons and also because it maketh the water to putrifie then the continuall agitation thereof by flowing and ebbing which causeth that the sea neither resteth nor runneth a direct course and thirdly the ordinarie receiuing of raine For they say that when salt resteth in the water it descendeth downewards by reason of the waight thereof and when the water runneth it is purified by the earth and that all raine-water because it is heated by the sunne and doth putrifie through tardation and slownes is somewhat brackish But they are much more troubled when they entreat of fountaines For some say that the sea yeeldeth none but salt-waters as is seene by many waters neere it And that those which are fresh become so by a long and vehement course Others maintaine that they be engendred by the aire Now experience manifesteth that their saltnes is diminished by the length and continuance of the course of the water For the farther that wels are from the sea the more fresh they are because the water doth more purge it selfe by the earth ouer which it trauerseth leauing a part of the force thereof and sometimes all of it in the slime and in the sand And here we may note that waters Of fountaines and wels and why the water of them seemeth hotter in winter then in summer especially well waters which doe all come from some springs doe seeme to be hotter in winter then in sommer although they doe neuer chaunge their nature for this proceedeth of the aire which is cold in winter and hot in sommer Through the opposition then of these things one selfe same water seemeth to receiue diuers qualities euen as we see that according to the disposition of our bodie the qualitie of the aire which enuironeth vs is esteemed For when we are hot we do suppose that which we touch to be cold and when we be cold we esteeme that which we touch to be otherwise Wherefore we must iudge euen so of the inner parts of the earth esteeming them to be simply neither hotter nor colder in one season more then in another but onely in respect of the aire Indeed water doth waxe a little warme when through the coldnes of the aire the heat is constrained to retire it selfe downeward in such sort as it cannot issue nor spred it selfe vpon the earth and therefore the snow which doth not ly long vpon it doth commonly make it more fertile for it retayneth the heat in the bowels thereof Moreouer the vppermost part of the earth which the water may come to is of a clammie slime of the nature of brimstone or of salt or of mettall which also causeth that the exhalations enclosed in this part doe heat the water And therefore such waters are either odoriferous or of a bad smell or without any sauour of which qualities one may easily iudge by the smell and taste For some waters sauour not onely of lime or of salt but they doe also boile as in the bathes neere to Padua Why some waters do boile yea such waters are verie ordinarie so that there are few regions but haue some of them But they are most common in Germanie and in Italy And the cause that they so boyle is either fire or putrefaction or else naturall or celestiall heat But for the celestiall heat it seemeth that it cannot be so great especially in winter and in the night time that it should heat the water verie much And for naturall heat it is neuer actuall but in liuing creatures because they haue life and sense Neither is putrified heat so powerfull that it can make water to boile neither is it verie likely that the substance of any thing may be engendred and corrupted at one instant It resteth then that the cause should rather be in
vs by the flowing waters and instable substance the Angelicall by fire bicause of the shining of the light and eleuation of the place and the heauen of meane nature is called of the Hebrues by a name signifying the same to be composed of water and fire In this lowe-world life and death striue for the maisterie by a kinde of vicissitude change and rechange all things but in the highest is eternall life and permanent operation and in that of the spheres is certaine assurance of life but there is changing of works and of places The elementarie is built of the perishing substance of bodies the intellectuall of a nature more diuine and excellent and the meane heauen is compounded of bodies but incorruptible and of a disposition conuenient for the nature thereof The third is mooued by the second and the second is gouerned by the first and this remaineth stable in his worke fit for his owne nature vnder the holy of holies the Lord-God almightie which was which is and which is to come And it seemeth that our great prophet of whom we haue learnt the creation of heauen and earth Exod. 25. The figure of the three worlds in the tabernacle oâ— Moses hath euidently described these three worlds in the structure of his maruellous tabernacle For he diuideth it into three parts whereof each doth liuely represent each world so that the first being not couered with any roofe or couering was open and exposed to raine snowes windes sunne heate and cold and which hath more reference to our elementarie world in this former part haunted not onely men both cleane and polluted temporall and ecclesiasticall but also beasts of all sortes and there was likewise bicause of the ordinarie sacrifices and offerings a perpetuall exchange of life and death The two other parts of the tabernacle were closed on euery side and defended from all outward iniurie euen as neither the celestiall nor supercelestiall world can receiue dammage Moreouer these two were honoured with the title of holy yet so that the most secret was named the holy of holies and the other simply the holy or sacred So likewise the sphericall world is holy bicause that it perseuering in the order which was appointed it by the soueraigne creator hath in it no fault or crime but the Angelicall is euen the most holy and most diuine wherein the blessed soules incessantly resound this song Thou art woorthie Apocal. 4. O Lord to receiue honour and glorie and power for thou hast created all things and for thy wils sake they are and haue been created But moreouer if we consider how the last part of the tabernacle was common to men and to beasts how the second all shining with the splendor of the gold was lighted with the candlesticke diuided into seuen lampes which as many Greeke Latine and Hebrue interpreters will haue doe signifie the seuen planets and how in the third the most holy were the winged Cherubins should we not say that these three partes manifest vnto our sight three worlds To wit this which men and all kind of creatures frequent the celestiall where the planets shine and giue light and the supercelestiall which is the dwelling and abode of the blessed Angels the way to which hath been opened by the crosse and bloud-shed of our Sauiour Iesus Christ true God and true man as the vaile of the temple by which the holy of holies being a type of the angelicall world was separated from the other partes thereof renting and tearing at the death of our Sauiour was a certaine sacrament to vs Matth. 27. Luke 23. Psal 18. Genes 3. For thereby wee had assurance that from thencefoorth was free accesse granted man to the kingdome of God of God I say who flieth aboue the cherubins through the very same entrance that from the beginning for the since of the first man had been barred vp by the lawes of iustice Thus haue we many notable things concerning the diuision of the vniuersall world Why the triple is called one which we may also call One not onely bicause the three worlds do proceed of one onely and selfe cause and tend to the like end or else bicause being duly tempered by numbers they are ioined togither by an harmonious accord and affinitie of nature and by ordinarie succession of degrees but also bicause that that which is in all the three is likewise comprised in one of them and that there is not one wherein all things which are in the other three doe not remaine It is most certaine that that which remaineth in this lowe world is in the vppermost of farre better stuffe and that which is in those aboue is seene also in this of farre woorse condition and as it were of a bastard and sophisticall nature For here heate is an elementarie qualitie in heauen it is an heating virtue and in the Angelicall thoughts an Idea and exemplarie forme Or to shew this more cleerely we haue with vs in this base world the fire which is an element the sunne in heauen is a fire in the supercelestiall region the seraphicke or burning intellect is another fire But let vs note how much they differ The element burneth the celestiall fire quickneth the supercelestiall is imbraced by loue There is also here below water and so there is another water aboue being motresse and mistresse of this belowe which is the moone in the first circle of heauen but the cherubin or cleere-sighted spirituall substances are the waters that flowe aboue the heauen And as touching the disagreeable condition among these three kindes of waters the elementarie humour quencheth vitall heate that of heauen nourisheth it and the supercelestiall hath an intellectuall apprehension of it Furthermore in the first world God the first vnitie ruleth ouer the nine hierarchies of Angels like so many spheres and remaining immooueable mooueth them al vnto him In the celestiall and meane world the imperiall heauen commandeth likewise as a captaine doth his bands the nine celestiall spheres in such sort that though they be mooued by continual agitation yet it remaineth stable by diuine power So likewise is there in the elementarie world after the first matter being the foundation thereof nine spheres or circular reuolutions of corruptible formes that is three of things inanimate which first are the elements then their compounds and thirdly the meanes betweene these two truly mixed and compounded but vnperfectly and such are the impressions which appeere in the aire Then are there three reuolutions of vegetable nature distinguished likewise into three kindes as of herbes shrubs and wood of olde growth And lastly three other of the sensitiue soule which are either imperfect as the Zoophyta or to speake English creatures of a middle condition betweene things sensitiue and plants or very perfect but such as are within the bounds of the fantasie not reasonable and in the third place that which is found excellent in beastes being capable of
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
generations it is necessarie that something remaine from which they are drawne in their first originall When then any creature is engendred by another if the forme perish and any thing do remaine it must of necessitie be the matter Nothing can cleane perish which the corruption it selfe doth manifest because that nothing can wholy perish so long as it is corrupted For the apple perisheth and is conuerted into wormes so is the wood into cinders when it is burned so water changeth it selfe into vapors and smoke by the heate of the fire or of the sunne Now all vapor and smoke is something for it can stifle a man and if it be receiued and gathered into a vessell it turneth to drops of water Behold then how manifest it is that in all this vniuers there is a certaine thing hidden vnder euerie forme which is not made by common generation nor yet doth perish by corruption and which like some prime subiect being diuided vnder many and sundry formes wee call as we haue alreadie said the first matter not engendred permanent because it perisheth not but remaineth and consisteth according to the effect thereof And when we compare it to the formes we saie that it is by power the same which they are because that it can receiue all formes so that the matter of a childe being formed is said to be a childe by power and by effect it is the subiect whereof the childe may consist for it is a mixture so fashioned and such as one may see it But when it is compared to the forme of the childe it is simplie called a matter by power for if it were such by effect then were it a childe of it selfe not a subiect of him So then by the consent of all Philosophers there is a certaine grosse matter disfurnished of formes but capable of all though by nature it be depriued of all For which cause also they establish with this matter priuation Of priuation of the changing cause for a beginning of naturall things And mounting higher they consider of a changing or working cause by force whereof the matter being wrought and mollified which is onely in power is at length actually performed euen as waxe being plied and softned by handling and working in the hand is fashioned into diuers formes according to the will of him that doth it Of the finall cause And because that nature doth nothing at aduenture but al for some good purpose thence it is that the finall cause is by some considered as a principle Of the forme And likewise because that the neerest end of the working cause is the forme which it taketh out of the bosome of the matter and that for this intent it worketh and mouldeth it to the end to reduce it to a perfect estate to receiue a forme for these causes Aristotle constituteth the forme for the third principle The which cannot be drawne out of the wombe of the matter except it be first disposed and prepared by conuenient qualities and therefore the Philosophers say that about them the maker bestoweth and emploieth all his labour and all the time of the action to the end that the species may presently appeere in a point moment vnseparable as it were for the wages of his paines But the Peripateticks call the worker the cause rather then a principle And the followers of Plato being more cleere-sighted in sacred mysteries doe teach that although the naturall causes do appeere to vs of themselues forming fashioning Thâ—â— naturalâ— causes 〈◊〉 principles and moulding euerie bodie yet neuerthelesse are they not the prime and first causes of euerie thing that is made but rather instruments of the diuine art to whom they serue and obey euen as the hands of a cunning workeman though they compose place and change the whole matter of an house as wood stone and morter and that nothing besides them may bee seene whereto the fashion of the edifice might bee attributed yet are they knowne of vs to be an instrument obeying and seruiceable to the Idea which being seated in the minde of the Architect he performeth and acteth with his hands in sensible matter the worke which he hath conceiued And for this occasion the Academicks speake of these two causes the instrumental and the exemplarie cause when they intreat of the framing of all things Which me thinketh is often confirmed by the Peripatetickes when this axiom is read in their writings Euerie worke of nature is the worke of Intelligence And both the one and the other do confesse that God hath drawne all things out of the matter But because that for to drawe them out the matter must necessarily be presupposed and the forme which thereof is fashioned must be conceiued as also the power or application and disposition of the said matter Three principles according to Aristotle Thereupon are sprung the three principles of naturall things which Aristotle ordayneth to wit matter forme and priuation Which opinion Pythagoras seemed to leane vnto teaching that in the first production of things there were present the Euen and the Odde for the Euen according to the doctrine of those which doe philosophically discourse by numbers and principally the binarie or number of two signifieth the matter and the vneuen or odde betokeneth the forme Moreouer the degrees of formes and things composed are excellently and harmoniously distributed by the Euen and Odde numbers as by their writings we may easily learne But let vs note that that which the Pythagorians signifie by numbers Plato doth abundantly describe by greatnes and smalnes because all that which is doth retaine a greater or lesse degree of essence and perfection which neuerthelesse is distinguished by euen and odde numbers And if one speake of bodies euery one of them hath a great little or meane quantitie which likewise is by the same numbers limited and distinguished But to leaue the curious disputation concerning these things to the Philosophers and so to grow to the conclusion of our speech concerning the principles of naturall and corruptible things we must call that into our memorie which we haue alreadie declared how that the matter stood in need of a worker and ordayner Now this same is none other Of one alone and onely principle but the alone and onely principle of principles and the cause of causes God omnipotent author of the Vniuers who being a soueraigne worker hath produced out of the subiect by him created all compound bodies From whom likewise it is necessarie that all formes doe flow whether they be drawne out of the bosome of the matter as some Philosophers affirme or proceed without any meanes of the forme-giuer as many learned dispute for he must alwaies be said to be engendring and producing which draweth the matter into an effect by any manner whatsoeuer Moreouer Motion and place set by some for principles some subtile spirits do account among the principles of naturall things
haue the power to doe and to suffer neither also can they consist more then two togegither for else contraries should remaine in one selfe same subiect Neither can heat be ioyned with cold without some meane nor dry with moist Whereupon doth follow that the qualities not contrarie being ioyned two and two together doe declare vnto vs fower well ordered combinations or couplings which do argue vnto vs the fower elements But hearken what the aduers part answereth Such coniunctions and copulations doe onely shew themselues in mixtures and compound bodies for some things being hot in the first degree are also moist and some being cold are drie others are hot and drie others cold and moist and so consquently of the rest But for the elements because that heat and great drines had reduced all things to an ende in steed of ministring a beginning vnto them Nature or rather the author of Nature Of the celestiall heat producing fire hath ordayned a celestiall heat well tempered by which all things should be engendred And by it and by putrefaction and motion the creature called Fire is incessantly produced Whereupon ensueth that though there be a fire yet neuerthelesse it is no element And therefore they conclude that there are but three elements The earth most thicke and heauie seated below the aire most thin and light placed aboue and the water meane betwixt these qualities situate between both They also affirme that vnto these elements it is common to haue no naturall heat because there is no heat but from the heauens and consequently from the soule and from brightnes That the earth because it is exceeding thicke and solide and the aire because it is beyond measure thinne seeme to be least cold but the water which is of meane substance betweene both seemeth to be most cold That the earth because of some certaine thinnesse thereof admitteth heat and therefore is esteemed lesse cold then stones And the aire because of the temperate cleernes and for that by the thinnesse thereof it is easily chaunged is esteemed not onely not to be cold but to be hot though in truth all the elemēts are cold by their own nature Which coldnes is nothing else but priuatiō of heat which heat doth wholly rest in the stars which is a proper celestiall qualitie moouing the bodie which aided by motion produceth fire But say they many may bee deceiued by reason of the violent heat which sometimes maketh impression in the elements For by the action of the starres some parts of the elements are mixed and participate with the nature of the celestiall bodies as Pepper becommeth hot And yet such mingling cannot be said to be an element but a thing composed partly of elements And for the fire which lighteth by the striking and beating of stones that it is likewise an heat of the stars in a bodie rarified by the celestiall power By these reasons then they conclude that two qualities do onely appeere vnto vs the heat of heauen and the proper moisture of the elements and as for drie and cold that they be the priuations of those qualities and that therfore a thing verie hot or verie cold cannot properly be called an element What an element is but that that may be said to be an element which hath no need of nourishment which of it selfe is not corrupt neither wandreth here and there but retayneth a certaine place in great quantitie according to nature and is prepared for generation All which things not agreeing with the fire because it is alwaies mooued neither can subsist without nouriture and burneth the aire which is next it whereby being inflamed it is called a flame for flame is nothing else but the aire inflamed it followeth that it cannot be called an element but rather an accidentall and great heat Behold then how Philosophers do diuersly dispute vpon this matter but our intention is not to giue sentence therein especially against the ancient and generally confirmed opinion which admitteth fower elements Wherefore as leaning thereunto tel vs ACHITOB how they may be considered by the perfect compositions which are in the world Of the perfect compositions which are in the nature of all things by which the fower elements may be considered Chap. 40. ACHITOB. ACcording as we are taught by those who haue first diligently sought out the secrets of nature we shal consider an elementarie fire and the element thereof approching the heauenly spheres by reason of the naturall agreement which they haue together being much greater then there is of the heauens with the aire the water and the earth Now these fower elements do demonstrate themselues by the like number of perfect compounds The agreement of stones with the earth which follow the nature of them to wit by stones mettals plants and animals or sensitiue creatures For stones haue their foundation or originall vpon the earthie corner of this worlds frame because that agreeing with the nature of earth they descend alwaies towards the center except they be such as are ouer-dried and burned as are the pumice-stones which are made spungie in caues full of aire But when they are turned into dust then resuming their proper nature of stones they descend Chrystall and the Beryll are also numbred among stones because that though they may be engendred of water they are neuerthelesse so congealed and in manner frozen that being made earthie they descend downewards which is not the manner of frost and snow So is it with those stones that are bredde in the bladder though they be produced of a waterie humour And all these kindes of stones become so close and solide in their nature with such fastnes and binding that they cannot be molten like mettals although the saide mettals descend downewardes like stones Mettals agreeing with the water And therefore also vpon the second watrie angle of the elementarie world mettals are builded which though they be said to be composed of all the elements yet bicause they are principally made of water they retaine the nature thereof and will melt as Abubacher doth excellently discourse speaking thus We see in mines that by reason of the continuall heate of some mountaines the thickest of the water steweth and boileth so that in tract of time it becommeth quicksiluer And of the fat of the earth so stewed and boiled togither with heate is brimstone ingendred and through continuall heate also are mettals procreated For gold that hath no default is ingendred of quicksiluer and of brimstone that is pure tough cleere and red Siluer of the same liquid siluer and of close pure cleere and white sulphur wherein colour wanteth and something of the closenes surenes and consequently of waight Tinne that is more vnperfect is ingendred of the same causes and parts vnperfect bicause they are lesse concocted and attenuated Lead of the same terrestriall-siluer and full of filth depriued of purenes and surenes and of grosse sulphur or brimstone somewhat red whereto
ships by reason of the depth of the one and roundnes of the other So that the blowe thereof running along the pillars doth very seldome strike them as also not being able to descend aboue fiue cubits vnder ground and the bottoms of ships being very lowe it scarcely euer falleth there And therefore it is a sure remedie against lightning to hide ones selfe in deepe caues It is also to be noted that although the brightnes of the lightning be seene before the noise of thunder be heard yet proceede they not one before another but are both togither And the reason hereof is easie to vnderstand Why the lightning of thunder is perceiued before the sound be heard For bicause that sight is quicker and sharper then hearing the eie doth sooner behold the brightnes of the lightning then the eare doth heare the sound of the thunder as we see plainly when a man cuts downe a tree or beateth vpon any thing that resoundeth especially if we be farre off For we shall see him strike the stroke sooner then we can heare it as likewise we prooue in ordinance and in all guns and peeces whose fire wee shall see before wee heare the noise of their shoot notwithstaÌ„ding that they are both performed togither But wee haue dwelt long ynough on this matter concerning that which philosophers doe teach We must now consider what the true meteors of Christians are as we haue already discoursed of their Astronomie and Astrologie wherein we shall learne the supernaturall causes of those thunders and lightnings which God sendeth when and how he pleaseth as you ACHITOB can relate vnto vs. Of the true Meteors of Christians and of the supernaturall causes of thunder and lightning Chap. 44. ACHITOB. THE Philosophers call Meteors by a Greeke name that part of natural philosophie which entreateth of the aire and of the things engendred therein and appertayning thereto as namely the cloudes raine snow thunders tempests lightnings and such like because that they are ouer and aboue vs. For the signification of the Greeke word Meteoron importeth so much But the principall profit that like Christians we must desire purchase from this part of Philosophie is that we learne by the contemplation and consideration of the works of God of which we now intreat what is his power wisedome bountie and benignitie towards vs and how it manifesteth it selfe before our eies not onely in the highest heauens wherein the sunne moone and starres are contayned as we haue heretofore shewed but also in the aire and in all the elements placed vnder the spheres For by this knowledge we may reape verie great fruits Of the profit which the knowledge of the meteors bringeth to Christians First in that we are assured that all these things are in the power of our father who is the creator of them that they are all created for our good like the rest of his works and not for our ruine and perdition Then we learne by so many rare workes and maruellous effects to feare and loue the author of them onely and nothing else except in him and for the loue of him acknowledging and firmely beleeuing that he alone is the author and gouernour of all nature For we behold how terrible and fearfull hee sheweth himselfe by thunders and lightnings And againe how louing gratious and benigne he declareth himselfe to be by raine dewes and such like blessings by which he giueth nourishment to men and to all other creatures For these causes also the kingly prophet calleth thunders Psal 29. Psal 18. lightnings teÌ„pests great inundations of waters the voice of the Lord and in another place he speaketh of the Lord as of a magnificent and maiestical prince speaking great like the sound of thunder and casting fire out at his mouth with great flouds and deluges of water saying againe in another place That the almightie maketh great cloudes his chariot and that he walketh vpon the wings of the winde Psal 104. that he maketh the spirits his messengers and a flaming fire his ministers By which fire no doubt Luke 17. but the prophet meaneth the lightning which the Lord sendeth when and where it pleaseth him to cause men to leaue him 2. Pet. 3. and to punish them like their iust iudge as he declared in effect when he rained downe fire and brimstone vpon them of Sodome and Gomorrha and the other cities round about them which are proposed to vs in the Scriptures for examples of the iudgements of God as that of the floud For this cause also Dauid addressing his speech to the great and mightie to the proude and loftie which haue God in contempt saith Giue vnto the Lord yee sonnes of the mightie Psal 29. giue vnto the Lord glorie and strength giue vnto the Lord glorie due vnto his name worship the Lord in his glorious sanctuarie consequently deducing the wonders that God doth by the voice of his thunder how that it sparkleth with flames of fire by reason of the lightnings which proceed out of the clouds when they open and rent themselues with so great noise whereat the deserts and mountaines tremble the hinds calue and bring foorth before their time for feare and dread and the forests are discouered their trees being ouerturned and broken as they are very oftentimes with tempests and whirlewinds as if the Author of all nature did blow through them For it is he as is written in Ecclesiasticus that sendeth out the lightnings as he listeth Eccles 43. who hauing opened his treasures the cloudes flie out like birdes at sight of whom the mountaines leape and the southwinde bloweth according to his will and the voice of his thunder maketh the earth to suffer which is as much to say as that it is mooued and trembleth in regard of men Whereby we may learne what shall become of them all if they enterprise to stand vp against God For surely their force cannot but be much lesse then that of the high mountaines and great trees which might seeme to the ignorant able to oppose themselues against thunders whirlewinds and tempests For this cause also Elihu saith in the booke of Iob. Iob. â—7 At this also mine hart is astonied and is mooued out of his place Heare the sound of his voice and the noise that goeth out of his mouth He directeth it vnder the whole heauen and his light vnto the ends of the world Now he meaneth by this light the lightnings which our God causeth to appeere in one moment and instant from the east to the west from the one side of the world to the other as the Scripture declareth otherwhere and it is easie to note by reason that he proceedeth saying Matth. 24. After it a noise soundeth he thundreth with the voice of his maiestie and he will not stay them when his voice is heard Meâ—â—â—les to be câ—nsidered in the fire of thunder God thundreth maruellously with
THE THIRD VOLVME OF THE FRENCH ACADEMIE Contayning a notable description of the whole world and of all the principall parts and contents thereof As namely of Angels both good and euill of the Celestiall spheres their order and number of the fixed stars and planets their light motion and influence Of the fower elements and all things in them or of them consisting and first of firie airie and watrie meteors or impressions of comets thunders lightnings raines snow haile rainebowes windes dewes frosts earthquakes c. ingendred aboue in and vnder the middle or cloudie region of the aire And likewise of fowles fishes beasts serpents trees with their fruits and gum shrubs herbes spices drugs minerals precious stones and other particulars most worthie of all men to be knowen and considered Written in French by that famous and learned Gentleman Peter de la Primaudaye Esquier Lord of the same place and of Barree and Englished by R. Dolman LONDINI Jmpensis Geor. Bishop 1601. TO THE RIGHT WORshipfull Sir WILLIAM MOVNSON Knight YOur emploiments Right Worshipfull in sundry hir Maiesties forraine seruices both by sea and land and also for your farther experience and satisfaction in diuers other noble enterprises beeing accompanied with a sharpe and iudicious obseruation of things memorable and the perusing of many excellent and rare writers must of necessitie haue made you not onely expert in matters of war and estate but also most singularlie well read in God his great booke of nature I meane the admirable frame of this Vniuers or whole world Wherein the infinite varieties and sorts of creatures like so many visible wordes doe proclaime and publish vnto man the eternitie infinitie omnipotency wisedome iustice bountie and other essentiall attributes of his dread and soueraigne creatour Wherefore I doe here present vnto your Wor. the discourse ensuing not as a teacher to instruct you in things vnknowne but as a faithfull remembrancer to recall matters to your minde which are there already both by speculation and experience most soundly imprinted It may please you then to accept of this mine homelie translation not so much for mine owne sake who am able to deserue lesse then nothing as for the Authors worthines being a Gentleman as appeareth out of this other parts his learned ACADEMIE most rarely qualified and likewise for the excellencie of this present worke of his both in regard of the method the matter and the scope For the methode is most exact and agreeable to rules of art proceeding from generalles to particulars and from the whole to the parts The matter or subiect is most noble so that if according to Aristotle all arts and sciences doe receiue their perfection from the dignity of the obiect then certes of all others Theologie excepted this science is the most excellent hauing so spacious so beautifull and so fruitfull a fielde to manure as the whole world and all things therein contained Neither is the scope any whit lesse charitable and christian tending partly to the information of mens vnderstandings and the reformation of their errors but most especially ayming at the glorie of the creator vnto whom onely is due all submission and honor Finally considering the authors manner of handling this discourse and the varietie of choise-writers both ancient and of our times which hee alledgeth for confirmation of sundry truthes and for other purposes purging by the fire of his exquisite iudgment the drosse of their opinions from the pure mettall and in all places adorning their gold and siluer with the most orient and inualuable pearles of holy scripture I deemed it in all respects most worthy to shroude it selfe vnder your Wor. patronage London this 28. of March 1601. Your Wor. most readie to be disposed of RICHARD DOLMAN To the Reader MOunt on this worlds maiestike theater Suruey the spheres and euer-burning lamps Pierce through the aire fire earth and water Admire Jehouahs hosts and royall camps Rang'd in batallions and seemely troupes At sight whereof the proudest Atheist droupes Surmount the spheres view those ghostly wights Jnhabiting a world supercelestiall Then stoupe trembling see those ghastly sprights Plung'd aie in deepest firie gulfes infernall And frighted thence looke al the world aroūd What other natures-wonders may be found R. D. Sonnet CE que Dieu fit et fait d'admirable en son monde Ce qu'on en peut auoir de plaisirs et de biens Et d'enseignemens beaux diuins et terriens BARREE icy l'instruit par celeste faconde Mais quel saint trucheman ô Nimphe-Angloise blonde T'apprent ces hauts discours qui rauissent les tiens C'est mon gentil DOLMAN ieune laurier des miens Le qui de des neuf seurs qui en langues abonde O toy heureuse donc d'auoir ce traducteur Comme ta soeur Françoise heureuse est de l' Autheur Mais plus heureuse encor quand par estudes saintes Des grands oeuures de Dieu en ce liure depeintes Si bien cognoistres Dieu qu'au mieux d'ame et de coeur En crainte amour et foy le seruires sans feintes I' attens le temps PIERRE CASTEL The speciall and principall matters handled in this third Tome of the French Academie as it is diuided into seuerall daies works and distinguished by Chapters The first daies worke Page 1 OF the Creation of Heauen and Earth Chap. 1 Page 7 Of time which tooke beginning with the world Chapter 2 Page 12 Of the insufficiencie or nullitie of reasons framed concerning the nature of the world against the creation thereof chap. 3 Page 15 Of the reasons taken from motion and the moouing intelligences against the creation of the world and of the insufficiencie of them chapter 4 Page 20 Of many other deuises which they inuent who pretend to ouerthrow the doctrine of the creation of the world performed by the creator thereof chap. 5 Page 24 Concerning those causes which haue made the Philosophers to erre from the knowledge of truth and of their ignorance concerning God and his works chap. 6 Page 29 Of the authoritie of such witnesses as make the creation and newnes of the world vndoubted chap. 7 Page 34 Of the reasons making for the creation and newnes of the world chapter 8 The second daies worke Page 39 COncerning the errors of those Philosophers which say that God doth his outward worke of necessitie chap. 9 Page 45 Of the reasons which conclude that God proceeded of franke and free deliberation to the worke of the world chap. 10 Page 49 Of one onely principall and first cause of the Vniuers chap. 11 Page 54 Of the space of the sixe daies mentioned in the historie of the creation of the world chap. 12 Page 59 Of the mysteries hidden vnder the number of sixe in the creation of the Vniuers and of the seuenth day of rest chap. 13 Page 64 Of the diuisions of the vniuersall world chap. 14 Page 68 Of the Angelicall and intellectuall world
because they still labour but when they haue accomplished and performed their worke and deliuered such fauour to terrestriall things as they were charged with And for the soule whereof Plotin makes mention one may likewise affirme that it shall not cease to giue life to the Vniuers when it shall cease to mooue For as we haue alreadie heard we maintaine not the annihilating of the elements of the world or the parts thereof but rather the resting after the motion in such sort as all nature must be in the ende after sundrie reuolutions reduced to the rest of the Sabbaoth vnknowne to many learned men Let all those then who trouble themselues without meane or measure to search out the end of the worldly frame or contend about the originall thereof here fixe their foote least running without ceasing in their fantasies after this perpetuall moouing they neuer rest and least by no light they can behold their repose being alwaies troubled with a continuall course Now then ASER I leaue to you to prosecute the confutation of diuers other arguments vpon this matter of the Creation Machinations Of many other deuises which they inuent who pretend to ouerthrow the doctrine of the Creation of the world performed by the Creator thereof Chapter 5. ASER. BEsides that which we haue hitherto heard concerning the reasons and arguments whereupon many depend who denie that the world had a beginning I finde that such are willingly induced to thinke Reasons against the doctrine of the creation of the world that by reason of this new creation or generation of the Vniuers there might seeme to arise some new deuise in the Creator because of the newnes of the worke by consequence an alteration of his mind or will which cannot happen to the most perfect and immutable neither within himselfe for nothing can mooue it selfe nor outwardly without himselfe for then that should consist and encrease which was without him by the empairing and wearing away of the most infinite These are the termes which Aristotle Auerrois Moses of Egypt and their disciples vse alleaging many other considerations which Cicero in the person of the Epicure enueighing against Plato in his fluent and eloquent speech hath collected in the discourse of an oration Cic. 1. of the nature of the Gods With what eies saith he coulde your Plato behold the arte and composition of so great a worke by the which he saith the world was builded and composed by God What inuentions of buildings What iron workes what lifting leauers what engins what ministers had he in so great a businesse How is it that the aire fire earth and water coulde obey to the worke-master whence issued the fiue formes whereof all the rest are formed falling out fitly to compose the soule and produce the sense And a little after he proceedeth I woulde faine aske these fellowes why vpon a sodaine these builders of the world started vp who had beene a sleepe by the space of innumerable ages For though there was then no world yet were there certaine ages although they were not such as are made of a number of daies and nights by course of yeeres for I confesse that those could not come to passe without the turning of the world but there was of infinite time a kinde of eternitie which no terme nor circuit of time did measure Neuerthelesse none can diuine of what space it hath beene because it falleth not into humane sense that there could be any time then when time was not Then in such an vnlimited space why should the prouidence be idle why should he flie labour and what cause was there why God like the Sheriffe of a citie should desire to adorne the world with signes and lights If it were to them that God might the better dwell at his ease he had then an infinite time before dwelt in darknesse as if in an hole or by-corner But if we thinke that he hath thus beautified heauen and earth because he delighted in the diuersitie thereof what may this pleasure of God be whereof he was so long time before depriued May it be for loue towards man as you might inferre that God made all these things But hath this loue beene for wisemen or for fooles if for the wise then to small purpose God wot hath this so exceeding great compiling of things beene made If for the foolish first there was no occasion why God shoulde seeke to deserue any thing of the euill then what hath he gotten when euery one being a flatte foole is most miserable in that he is not wise For what can we name that 's woorse then follie hitherto Cicero Alcinois speaking like him doth farther adde That sith there is nothing beside the world which may do it violence it can suffer neither maladie nor consumption nor any dissolution at all Forasmuch then as it must perpetually endure it followeth also that it hath beene without beginning Auicen according with him saith He which negotiateth by the power of another may instantly produce that which before he coulde not for hee must attend the pleasure of such as worke with him but the first that worketh by his proper power needes not attend but worke continually Behold then how the seruants of the world contend for the dignitie of their prince endeuouring to make him eternall as if volūtarily subiecting themselues to a continuall reuolution they woulde defeat themselues for euer attaining to any rest wherein consisteth true felicitie But we must fight for the soueraigne Creator which is our peace and true Sabbaoth defending like good and valiant warriors his eternall rest whereto all reuolution of the world doth referre it selfe and presently it will appeere hee himselfe aiding vs how weake those engins are which our aduersaries haue planted against his worke and against the wall of truth Answere to the arguments of the Philosophers First we will consent to Aristotle and to the defenders of his doctrine that there came to God by the framing of the vniuers a new imagination but full of reason and without any alteration in his nature or will and moreouer the same new-minde was properly reall and all one with his eternall will towards the generation of the world to performance whereof he also proceeded according to his good pleasure But I woonder at so many instances as they intend to found vpon this new-thought seeing we behold how assidually many new things are produced wherof returneth a new-thought either towards God framing or gouerning or at least as they say so as may be towards their wished and desired end I demand then why should the new-thought of creating the world make more against the maiestie of God and not the inuention of the new partes thereof euery moment arising Algazel Sarasyn holds it not vnmeete that the most perfect agent hauing all conditions thereto cōcording deferred neuerthelesse to produce his worke in effect so long as he pleased and that then he performed
eternall incorruptible which mooue them in an infinitenes and through an infinitenes that is emptines which bodies are in number infinite with these two qualities forme and greatnes and that by a chance of aduenture without constraint of any nature heauen and earth of them were composed Hipparchus Metapontine and Heraclitus the Ephesian said that fire was the vnick beginning bicause it is the subtile maintainer and sustainer of all bodies and whereof at first the heauens were made And bicause it is a brightnes that mooueth all things by his light they teach that in abasing it selfe it was mixed with all things in such sort that all things were thereof engendred by the meanes of discord and loue Empedocles for feare of failing said that all the fower elements had beene the onely beginning but that the earth was the matter and first subiect of all containing the formes and figures of things which neither the water aire nor fire could doe The Poets following his opinion attributed the originall of things to etherian Iupiter terrene Pluto aërian Iuno and to Mestis the beginning of the water who they said nourished with her teares the riuers of the earth Pythagoras mounting higher then many deeme esteemed that numbers and their subiect that is the measures and apt proportions called harmonies and consonancies were the originall of things not those numbers which marchants vse but the formall and naturall the knowledge of which lies onely hidden in such as haue learned Philosophie and Theologie by numbers Almeon followeth Pythagoras saying that the vnity was the effectiue beginning but the two or binarie not finite was the subiect and materiall beginning of all multitude Epicurus in his Philosophie pursuing the steps of Democritus teacheth the beginnings of things to be corporal solide not created perceiued by vnderstanding onely eternall that coulde not be corrupted nor destroied nor changed in any sort To which prime causes beside the forme and greatnes which his master assigned them he also attributeth waight Socrates and Plato set three principals God the matter and the Idea Aristotle affirmed for the first Entelechie or the kinde the matter and priuation although he had otherwhere taught the equiuocations as is priuation not to be numbred among the principles Zenon appointeth for the first God and the matter so that he is the actiue and it the passiue the fower elements meanes betweene But on this point wee may note that amongst all those which haue taught that the matter was the principall subiect we haue one alone who telleth vs whether it hath beene created by the blessed God or whether this nature pliable and depriued of all beawty togither with God hath made the world or else if voide of all fashion it hath beene coeternall wife and companion of Demogorgon father of the Gods as Poets faine or if like a Pallas it hath beene borne of Iupiters braine Certainly our minde can finde no repose when we finde a nature depriued of all power and all forme without the maker and creator thereof Now who or what he hath beene we haue none of these Philosophers that can relate vnto vs. Very well see we that they agree very ill togither in the doctrine of the principles and foundations of the world which doubtlesse hapned vnto them bicause they did straie very farre off from the vnity master of all veritie in whom they shoulde all haue met and yet euery one went a seuerall way following the inuentions of their naturall speculations temerariously presuming by their owne proper powers to manifest that which God would rather haue kept close and hidden to wit the nature of celestiall things And thence commeth it that their teachings founded on the confused multitude were dissolued and vanished after I say that they were so seuered from the vnitie which giueth to all essences the power to be and harmoniously to accord How all those that haue had the true knowledge of God do agree in the doctrine of one onely originall of the vniuers But they who confesse one God creator of all things and acknowledge him for the true source and fountaine from which all the waters of eternall sapience do flowe all vnited in profession of pietie religion and doctrine Hebrewes Chaldees Greekes and Latins doe all togither giue praise to this God alone father of the vniuers planting the foundations of this mundaine habitation with an harmonious concord For Moses Iob Dauid Salomon Esay and all the other prophets Euangelists Apostles and disciples of Iesus Christ and all those whom he hath made woorthie to entreat of diuine mysteries all with one voice do teach vs one onely and prime cause of all formes and that alone to be the maker of the matter and moderatresse of all nature To which doctrine agree all the ancient and moderne doctors of the Christian church hauing the rule of holie letters so fixed and bounded that they doe not crosse themselues in any point bicause they haue setled the foundations of all things in the onely and true author of all wisedome And vpon the same principles innumerable persons of great erudition and laudable life diuersly dispersed into contrary climates according to the course of times and different languages haue enterprised diuers works of a diuine consonancie and all to one end to cause acknowledgement of God creator of heauen and earth Which coulde in no wise haue beene done if all these excellent men had not beene illuminated with one selfesame diuine vnderstanding as the Platonists call it or with one selfesame holie spirite as our doctors teach which maketh all such as dwell in the house of God to be of one minde and indueth all of them with one hart and one soule and therefore also all the ancient Prophets blessed ambassadors of Iesus Christ being replenished with this spirit despising the vaine babble of Philosophers schooles and all contentious disputations haue proposed their teachings with such and so great constancie though they had to deale with princes and people learned and vnlearned that they haue confirmed them for truth by sanctitie and splendor of life and by many myracles yea with their owne bloud And our doctors imitating this doctrine lightned and illustrated with the same spirite haue acknowledged God the onely and very beginning of all things the free Creator and supreme fountaine from whom all veritie and vertue floweth Amongst which doctors fowre Greekes and fowre Latins shall sing in the little quire of God like the bases and fundaments of our Theologie according with the fowre disciples of our Lord who deliuered the Euangelicall elements in Canticles sweetely distinguished and yet in agreeable consonancie Of the most celebrated doctors of the church Greekes and Latins For Saint Hierome and Saint Chrysostome shall vnloose the knottie heads of the holie letters the one and the other Gregory to wit the Romaine and Nazianzene shall pursue the diuine sense closed and couered vnder the barke of the letter Damascenus with Saint
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
That heauen is of round forme is a sure testimonie vnto vs. So likewise there are many naturall reasons which declare it to be such For all the partes of the frame thereof doe consist of themselues doe sustaine themselues and doe comprehend themselues not hauing neede of any stay or ioint hauing neither a beginning nor ending place Moreouer this roundnes of heauen may be knowne by the sight of the eie For on which side soeuer you behold it you may see the halfe in our hemisphere as it doth shew it selfe which could not come to passe in any other figure but in a round which also is the most perfect and most capable of all other figures to bee comprised in one selfesame circuit and is therewithall the easiest to mooue euery way And therefore it is not onely conuenient but also necessarie for all the heauens and celestiall orbes of which we before intreated as well bicause of the perfection of their essence as by reason of their proper motions which are circular and correspondent to a round forme besides all this bicause these spheres are placed one within another making their reuolutions vpon diuers poles and in diuers spaces of time Which could not be obserued nor the integritie of the whole heauen maintained if the celestiall forme were any other saue round and circular Of the proper and naturall motion of the spheres For the proper and naturall motion of the spheres is circular that is framed equally distant round about their center which is the point in the midst of the world so that neither the whole heauen nor any of the particular spheres doth wholy abandon or passe out of his owne place and situation but onely the partes of them doe incessantly change place in that they turne about their said common center And therefore is this circular motion much more noble and perfect then that which is made by a right line either mounting from the center of the world towards the circumference Of the motion proper to the fowre elements or else descending from it towards the center which motion is proper to the fower elements For fire and aire do mount vpwards but water and earth descend naturally downwards Also fire mounteth higher then aire and earth descendeth lower then water and each of these enuiron the center of the world which is the lowest place of all and farthest from the circumference which is the highest of all So then the circular motion is naturally due and conuenient to the most noble and most simple bodie which is the heauen and most necessarie for it as it appeereth more cleerely to vs by the continuall motion of the starres both fixed and wandring which proceedeth of the onely moouing of their spheres What stars are For we must note that the starres are nothing else but certaine firme cleere and solide partes of their heauens made in round forme like the heauen whose motion they follow which likewise receiue their light from the sunne who is the very source and fountaine whereinto the soueraigne creator hath put the brightnes of the whole vniuersall world Now this circular motion of heauen is found by obseruation to haue two principall differences that is to be made vpon sundry poles and axes and in sundry partes and positions of the world as also in diuers spaces and quantities of times Of the axis of the spheres and of the poles We call that the axis of the sphere which is the diameter that passeth through the same vpon which it is turned and the vttermost points of the same axis are the poles For the whole vniuersall world hath his proper and naturall motion like a liuing creature and euery of the orbes and particular heauens haue also a peculiar motion like to the partes and members of the whole great bodie For which cause as also for diuers other considerations many learned personages haue affirmed that the world is an animal or liuing creature And amongst others Origen is wholy of that minde who enforceth himselfe to prooue it as well by reasons as by authoritie of holy scripture And therefore he saith thus in his booke of principles Though the world be ordained to diuers offices yet the estate thereof must not be thought to be dissonant or any whit disagreeing But euen as our bodie alone is composed of many members Reasons of such as haue said that the world is an animal and is contained by one soule so I thinke we must suppose that the vniuersall world is a great and vnmeasurable animal which as by a soule is sustained by the power and wisedome of God The Platonists doe all with one mouth teach the same thing And among many reasons by which they would confirme this point we will take onely that of Plato in his Timaeus which me thinkes is most excellent There are saith he two motions the one proper the other strange or exterior now that is more diuine which of it selfe is mooued then that which is stirred by the power of another And this motion proper and diuine is in our soules onely from which the beginning of the other strange motion is taken Seeing therefore that all motion proceedeth of the ardor of the world and that this ardor is not mooued by exterior agitation but of it owne accord it is therefore necessarie that there must be a soule Whereupon we gather that the world is an animal and that not without vnderstanding Now if thereupon any aske why heauen changeth not nor becommeth diseased nor dieth nor faileth as other liuing creatures doe The answere of Chalcidius in this point pleaseth me very much Notable difference in the workes of God when he saith commenting vpon Timaeus That which is instituted by God without meanes is free and exempt from change from age from sicknes from oldnes and from death And in this point agree all Academicks as also might bee well proued by circumstance if that be well considered which the sage philosopher Moses declareth to haue beene produced by the creator without helpe or matter and that which hath beene also performed by meanes of the second causes For though man was created and formed by the handes of God yet was hee not made without dust or earth which was a meane subiect But the Eternall hath made the heauens and the whole frame of the world of nothing For which reason it might seeme perpetuall and not perishing For as we haue heretofore declared though the heauens and earth must passe away yet doth not this plainly conclude an annihilating of them but rather a changing and renewing Psal 102. For so speaketh the kingly prophet saying The heauens shall waxe old as doth a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed And of this consideration we may frame an excellent reason concerning the immortalitie of the soule bicause it was made without any meanes by God himselfe But leauing this argument let vs pursue that
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
sith it is so much hidden from man Now in that the celestiall bodies and the elements and all creatures haue their proper motion wherein they continue according to the first ordinance established in nature by the soueraigne creator thereof we are much to admire both the cause and effects of such a constancie I intend heere to speake of a neere cause which is a secret amitie ingraffed into euery creature toward his owne nature For there is a loue Euery creature foloweth his owne nature an appetite or vniuersall inclination in all creatures which vrgeth and inciteth them to desire and search that which agreeth with their nature so that there is none so insensible which hath not in it selfe this amitie innate which euer pusheth it to follow the nature thereof and for this cause may we say that all motions proceed from loue And passing further we may contemplate the loue of God as the eternall source of amitie and inclination of all nature and as the first cause of causes and we shall say that in the same loue God louing himselfe proceeded to his worke which hitherto we haue celebrated and do now meane to prosecute For sith that God is the soueraigne good that all goodnes is by nature louing it cannot be but he must likewise loue himselfe exceedingly and consequently loue all that which he iudgeth to be good insomuch as it proceedeth from him who is the supreme good and the limit of all goodnes This loue then not being able to be idle The loue of God is the first of all motions nor yet the good which it loued would manifest both the one and the other first in the creation of the world namely in that of man and then againe in the restauration and reparation of his fall So we learne that the first motion whereupon all the rest depend is the loue of God which proceedeth from his bountie which he would not keepe shut vp nor inclosed in himselfe but would manifest and communicate it with his creatures whom he hath created to the end that he might be glorified in them and by them And as he loueth them for his owne loues sake and for that they were his worke so hath he set in them the seeds of loue both towards him and towardes themselues according to the diuers nature which he hath conferred vpon them It is then this naturall loue which constraineth them by a secret feeling of nature imprinted euen in those essences which haue neither reason nor vnderstanding to take delight in that which is agreeable to their creator and to follow his ordinance tending all to him and to that which he loueth bicause it is good and therefore good being done according to his will and bicause it pleaseth him to iudge it and approoue it for such Whereupon we may conclude that loue and amitie is the good by which all creatures haue an accord and agreement first with God their creator and then one with another and that vpon the same cause their conseruation and perfection doth depend Of the vnion and accord betweene all creatures Wherefore loue must be the bond and vnion of all the world which is an vniuersall peace and concorde betweene God and all his creatures For the diuine prouidence hath so disposed all the order of them that they be all conioined one with another by such loue and amitie that euen they which seeme to be cleane contrarie are allied reconciled and vnited togither by those which haue more correspondencie betweene them In such sort that we may therein behold a very pleasant and perfect harmonie like as in musicke wherein although it seemeth that the notes tunes and sounds be different one to another yet notwithstanding there is such a moderation in them that they yeeld togither a goodly concord and sweete melodie keeping their proportions times and measures As then by such peace and concord the celestiall spheres follow the generall and common course of the first highest and greatest of all within which they are contained and inclosed performing likewise each of them his particular course without endommaging themselues as we haue heretofore made mention so doe all the elements follow the heauen and obserue their order after it euery one in their degree from the highest to the lowest hauing their motions agreeable to their nature And euen as liuing creatures haue their agreements and coniunctions one with another euery one in his degree according to the couenant and participation of nature which they haue togither and as they are either neere to or farre off one from another euen so is it in the agreement and consent of nature which is betweene the celestiall bodies and the elements and all creatures composed of them For this cause as the angels retaine the first degree among liuing creatures and then man the second next them by reason that in his nature he neerest agreeth with the angels and doth neerest approch them so doth the heauen and celestiall fires retaine the first degree among creatures which are without soule and without life in their proper and conuenient motions according as we haue already declared And as man doth in some sort hold the middle place betweene the angels and the most perfect beasts so doth fire betwixt the heauen and the aire and as the aire doth keepe the middle place betwixt the fire and water so the water is a meane betwixt the aire and the earth But these things will claime a fitter place when we come to intreate of the elementarie world Wherefore we will returne to that which onely concerneth the heauenly bodies which forsomuch as we haue saide to be of the number of those creatures which are without life being contrarie to the opinion of the most famous philosophers my minde is that we should consider neerer of this matter bicause that by the excellent politicall and militarie order which is amongst them it seemeth that they are not altogither depriued of life reason and vnderstanding as ARAM we may learne of you Of the life reason and vnderstanding of the celestiall bodies and of the excellent politicall and militarie order which is amongst them Chap. 27. ARAM. THis being true that all creatures haue a certaine motion agreeable to their nature and a naturall loue which euer vrgeth them to seeke and pursue that which is most naturall for them as hath been already related in our antecedent speech it seemeth that this can hardly come to passe but that there must be in them some kinde of soule and life yea euen in those creatures that are most insensible And more I will say that it is not onely to be presumed that they haue some kinde of life but also a naturall vnderstanding which we may properly name inclination sith there is no essence but can follow his proper course and order in his owne nature and peculiar motions For the stones themselues and mettals by a kinde of soule and vegetatiue life doe
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
indeed Plato commaunded to be chased out of the cōmonweale But to returne to our purpose it is most euident that these ancient Poets great Philosophers Diuines do testifie that Saturne is an happie and willing planet And in so much as they accuse him for deuouring all his children except fowre they themselues interpret that of Time by which indeed he consumeth all things except the fowre elements which still remaine because that out of them and into them all nature is changed And thereof it commeth that they so call them to wit the fire Iupiter the aire Iuno the water Neptune and the earth Pluto Moreouer if wee will in excuse of Saturne consider the cause of the malice which commonly Astronomers attribute vnto him From whence the euils do proceed which are attributed to Saturne it is certaine that the euils wherewith they accuse him proceed from his cold and drie nature by which hee seemeth to fauour melancholie whose propertie is to oppresse and stop the desiring power and naturall loue whose seate is hot and moist And in that they separate Saturne from humane societie we must vnderstand that this is not the planet which properly they meane but rather the childe disposed to such complexion and disposition partly through the influence of the starres partlie through his birth and seed of the parents or the place of his generation or of his foode and partly also through the disposition which he may get by nurture and manners and especially if the saide planet ruling in the natiuitie of the childe The meanes to correct all euill influences it bee inuaded with the drines of Mars and coldnes of the Moone But yet one may correct euery such euill influence For the childe increasing in yeeres and iudgement may addict himselfe to studie and contemplation of high and diuine things which are the delights of him who leadeth a solitarie life and doubtlesse hee shall perceiue that Saturne is not euill but doth rather fauour him with a good influence And if any finde himselfe heauie by reason of his Saturnine cōplexion Matth. 5. let him meditate on that which is written Blessed are they which mourne if hee bee pensiue or silent let him harken to that which is said Marie hath chosen the good part if he haue desire to store vp riches let him lay vp in heauen For so may he easily correct euery euil inclination which he shall naturally haue And as much may we speake of him who shal be stirred vp with the inflāmation of Mars For if the Martial choler maketh him hastie and subiect to anger let him not vse it against the poore and little ones but to represse vices For as golden Chrysostome saith Where there is no wrath nor indignation there science profiteth nothing the iudgements are not constant and crimes are not corrected Let then warres murders boldnes magnanimitie spoiles captiuities flights violences and such like be exercised against the enemies of God and for the publike peace and then this Mars will not be euill Nomb. 25. but rather numbred amongst the saints and seruants of God with Phineas sonne of Eleasar commended for his zeale and with Dauid who fought the battels of the Almightie But if among warriors there happen deceit periurie frauds temeritie furie man-slaughters thefts and such mischiefes all this commeth to passe bicause the rule of reason is broken And then this gate being open the winds of passions whiske out and blow violently like a great tempest But so long as they remaine vnder the commandement of Eolus to wit so long as reason duly gouerneth euery violent motion proceeding from Martiall choler is easily moderated and turneth to profit The like must be iudged of Venus who is saide to induce men to a lustfull and lasciuious desire For if we gouerne well the concupiscence or appetite heated by this planet the sunne and Mars thereto ministring feruor thereupon woulde ensue a good loue inflamed towards God and our neighbor So then we may conclude our speech that men do wrongfully complaine of their nature or the influence of the starres when they should rather accuse the peruersnes of their il-inclined wil which causeth their voluntarie sinne as in the second part of our Academie we haue related But this will be more cleere vnto vs if we consider how the stars worke in man not in constraining but disposing which ARAM shall be the subiect of your speech Of the planets in generall and how they worke in man not in constraining but disposing Chap. 31. ARAM. MAny holding opinion that we obtaine nothing by the influence of the stars doe reiect the doctrine of Astrologians as absurde and altogither differing from philosophie And amongst other reasons they alledge that there haue been many graue philosophers who haue applied their care and diligence to search out the causes of things borrowing their knowledge from phisicke from the Mathematicks and from many other arts and sciences and yet neuer looked after the causes in astrologie namely Pythagoras Plato Aristotle Plotin Auicen Auerrois Hippocrates and others the most renowmed ancient authors But one may answere them that as it was forbidden by the Mosaicall lawe that any should reape his field all throughout Leuit. 19. 23. but should leaue some corner for the poore and needfull whereof they might make bundles and fardles to sustaine themselues and appease their hunger so it may be that the former philosophers haue left to their posteritie in the spatious field of the secrets of nature ynough for others to gather and to search out after them And indeede if any one should set himselfe against vs saying Saint Augustine Ambrose Ierome Origen Damascene and other doctors both Hebrues Greekes and Latines haue with most diligent labour sounded the sense of the scriptures without touching that which now you doe wherefore that which you say is not true What could this conclude against vs For it is a common thing in schooles that nothing is concluded of pure negatiues Nothing concluded by denying And the Sages cōdemne not that which any one hath found out for excellent by the subtiltie of his owne wit though it neuer before had been touched by others Wherefore no man is to be condemned if he make a farther search of causes then many ancient philosophers haue done who would not passe the bounds of the elementarie nature being contented to sound the causes by the power and qualities of these inferior bodies as many of our age doe whose theoricke and practick doth too much faile Let vs moreouer adde that the most renowmed amongst the ancients accord in this point Inferior things draw fauour from the superior That the inferior things and such as are called naturall doe drawe to them the fauor of the superior and celestiall rather by one aspect then by another Which skil is holden excellent to be knowne But for the Peripatetickes who abased in their sensible obiects content themselues with the
Motion and Place For they say that the principle Motion seemeth to be naturally in all bodies of which some as light are carried aloft others as heauie descend downe and yet are they not forcibly driuen for then violently they would returne to their proper place Neither are they drawen for the place is an accident and draweth no element at all Then forsomuch as all motion is made in place it seemeth verie well that it must be set for one of the principles of all things Now place is the supreme superficies of euerie bodie enuironing the same round about which superficies remayneth the bodie being separated And euerie place is equall to the bodie therein contayned Euerie bodie likewise is in a place and in euerie place is a bodie For euerie bodie hath his extreme superficies and the place cannot be without a bodie considering that euerie place is the highest superficies contayning a bodie And when the place is taken in regard of the roundnes of the heauens it is immutable insomuch as it contayneth the entire bodie of the Vniuers But being considered as the superficies of any particular bodie it is changed by the diuers disposition and alteration of the creatures and remayneth not alwaies the same Behold then that which I haue thought worthie to be summarily noted in regard of the principles whereof the Philosophers dispute and of which and by which namely of the forme and first matter the sensible elements of all corruptible things doe consist and are composed Whereof we are according to the course of our talke to enforme our selues as AMANA you shall presently do Of the elements and of things to be considered in them in that they are distinguished by the number of fower Chap. 38. AMANA WHen we take the heauen in his most proper signification we meane thereby the firmament and the celestiall spheres which couer and encompasse all things that are in the vniuersall world But heauen is likewise taken oftimes for the aire and for the regions next to the spheres because they approch neerest to the nature of them and for that they be elements drawne out of the first principles for the composition of corruptible things And yet in the diuision of the world there are commonly mentioned but two principall parts that is the celestiall and the elementary part as we haue heretofore related Now vnder this last part whereof our ensuing discourse must entreat we must vnderstand all that which is comprehended within the concauitie or hollow vault of heauen vnder the Moone euen to the center of the earth Of the elementary region that is the fower simple elements which are Fire Aire Water and Earth incessantly employed in the generation and corruption of all creatures vnder the which part we comprise all the diuers and innumerable species of all bodies both perfect and imperfect The number and qualities of the elements materially engendred by the naturall commixture and power of the said elements Which cannot be in number aboue fower that is iust so many and neither more nor lesse then there are first qualities predomināt in them which are heat moisture colde and drienes which neuerthelesse alone and by themselues do not constitute an element for they cannot haue the power both to doe and to suffer as it is needfull that there should be in the generation and corruption of all things neither can the foresaid qualities consist aboue two together for feare least contrarie things should be found in one selfe same subiect but being ioyned two and two they are correspondent the one to the other as the qualities of heat and drines which are in the fire the heat moisture which are in the aire cold moisture which are in the water and cold drines which are in the earth But heat cold which are actiue qualities and moisture drines which are passiue qualities are altogether contrarie And therefore can they not cōsist both together in one selfe same element Scituation of the elements wherupon it cōmeth to passe that the fire the water the aire the earth are cleane contrarie one to another which causeth also that the fire as the most subtile lightest element tending naturally vpwards is placed aboue the other three elements and enuironeth the aire round about which agreeth in heate with it which aire encompasseth the water agreeing therewith in moisture and the water is dispersed about the earth and agreeth therewith in coldnes and the same earth as the most heauie and hardest element is heaped and compacted togither in the midst of the whole world containing the center thereof It is certaine that the water enuironeth not the earth cleane round about but is spread abroad by diuers armes branches and lakes which we call seas as well within as about the same for so it was necessarie that some partes of the earth might be vncouered for the health and habitation of liuing creatures so as it hath pleased the soueraigne king of the world to ordaine for the benefit of all things There are then fower elements first foundations of things compounded and subiect to corruption How the number of fowre is note-woorthy in diuers things And by this number of fower perfectly consonant the elementarie world is diuided into these fower partes the firie the airie the watrie and the earthy part so also is this terrestriall frame distinguished into fower points to wit East West North and South as we knowe the like to be in the celestiall bodies And by their diuers motions and courses we obtaine the fower seasons of the yeere to wit the spring sommer autumne and winter From whence likewise proceedeth all aide and fauor to the substance and composition of the creatures comprised vnder these fower kindes that is corporall vegetable sensitiue and reasonable creatures which subsist of these fower qualities hot cold moist and drie We likewise see that all quantitie is diuided into fower to wit into a point into a length bredth and depth There are also fower sortes of motion ascending descending progression and turning round Moreouer if we will here drawe out some mysteries of the Pythagorians we shall knowe that all the foundation of euery deepe studie and inuention must be setled vpon the number of fower bicause it is the roote and beginning of all numbers which exceed fower For a vnitie being ioined to a fower maketh vp ten and in this number all the rest to ten are found as may appeere in this figure 1. 2. 3. 4. Aboue which number of ten as Aristotle in his problemes and Hierocles in his verses vpon Pythagoras reciteth no land nor language hath euer proceeded For the Hebrues Greekes Latins and Barbarians themselues being come so farre as to ten begin againe with an vnitie saying 11. 12. and so forward imitating nature guided by her soueraigne who by the order of tens parteth the fingers of the hands and toes of the feete as the same creator would distribute
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
greatnes and huge extension seene by euery eie But for the fire we onely see the increase the power and simple matter thereof and his force or fountaine is esteemed to be in the concauitie of the moone aboue the aire Of such as say that there is no fire vnder the sphere of the moone Yet some among the naturall Philosophers affirme and maintaine that there is no fire vnder the orbe of the moone neither will acknowledge any other elementary fire but the fires of the celestial bodies and the heate of them which they communicate to all the rest of the creatures And therefore they assigne to these fires all the space which is from the moone to the highest heauen Saying moreouer that sith the heauen is a thing most pure it is not conuenient to place a thing most burning vnder that which is exempt from all qualitie For nature doth alwaies ioine extremities with things of meane qualitie as is found betwixt the flesh and the bones where she hath placed a filme or thinne skinne and betweene the bones and the ligatures she hath put the gristles so betwixt the scull and the braine because it is softer then flesh nature hath placed two filmes the hardest whereof is neerest to the bone of the head Thereupon then they conclude that the aire is much fitter then the fire to bee next the heauens and serue as a meane to ioine them with the earth and water And against it they argue that swiftnes of motion is the cause or argument of the heate and that there is no other fire others againe auouch that this cannot be For say they although that solide substances may by motion be heated as stones lead and liuing creatures yet those which disperse or scatter themselues abroad become thereby so much the colder by how much they are more lightly mooued witnes the aire and the water For all strong and swift windes are cold and riuers that haue a quick course are very cold Againe those that denie the elementarie fire Reasons of such as deny the fire to enuiron the aire do bring this argument to wit that the comets and flames which oftentimes do appeere in the heauens do cause in the aire verie great and as it were intollerable heates Therefore they demand what might happen if the vniuersall world especially the elementarie were enuironed by fire who could hinder but that that fire would inflame the aire and after it all other things sith the heate of the celestiall bodies would thereto giue aide They adde how Auerrois doth esteeme that all brightnes is hot and that the aire is such and that euery moist qualitie doth least of all other resist heate How then say they shall the aire resist the fire which is the most vehement and most sharpe of all elements It is true that this Arabicke author hath said that sometimes the fire is not actually hot but what then shall be his possibilitie We say that some medicines are hot by possibilitie because that being taken they heat woondrously But by what creatures shall the fire be deuoured to the end to reduce it to the qualitie of medicines Moreouer if the fire be not hot then is not the water cold which should be to confound al reason and the very order of the world Againe they demand what it is that letteth the fire that it shineth not and that it is not seene in the elementarie region Againe if fire be in the aire why then the higher we mount doe we finde the aire more cold and why do snowes more abound on the mountaine tops then in the lowest places yea vnder the torrid zone Which neuerthelesse might not seeme strange if one should consider how snowe falleth in winter onely and very colde haile in midst of summer the cause whereof we shall heereafter discouer But say they if one should obiect that the highest places are farthest remote from the reuerberation of the sunne this may be an argument of lesse heate but not of coldnes In fine they adde that if heate were in the highest of the aire in an elementary body it should principally there rest for to cause the generation of things Now for this reason it cannot be there considering that the celestiall heat is it that doth engender as al Philosophers maintaine Thereupon they conclude that this imagination of fire aboue the aire is vaine It seemeth also that be a thing neuer so light as is the fire yet can it not mount so exceeding high and to say that it was caried aloft onely coniecturing so and that the place thereof must be there such Rhetoricall arguments are not woorth rehearsing in serious matters Answere to many reasons which are alledged to prooue foure elements There are some also which to the reasons by vs before touched in the beginning of this speech do replie that it seemeth they do not conclude that there be fower simple bodies but rather the contrarie For for the first betwixt two extremes one meane not two is cōmonly assigned which being considered in regard of the elements there shoulde onely be three in number And for this vulgar opinion that in all compound bodies there are esteemed to bee fower elements the heat which is in mixt and compound substances cannot consist of elementarie fire For if the fire shoulde remaine in them it should much more rest in the herbe called Euphorbium and in Pepper which are of an extreme hot and drie nature and therefore one might more commodiously get fire out of them then out of most colde stones which yet wee finde to bee cleane contrarie Moreouer the distillations wherein many straine themselues to search the fower elements doe demonstrate but three substances onely to wit water for water oile insteed of aire and the earth which is in the bottome Now if that any do say that the reddest part of the oyle doth represent the fire because it is verie sharpe and verie subtile we will answere that such piercing sharpnes of sauour proceedeth from the vehement vertue of the fire which operateth in the distillation Which likewise doth manifestly appeere in the oyle extracted from mettals euerie part whereof is of a verie sharpe sauour Wherefore if euerie thing of such a qualitie representeth the fire it must follow of necessity that in euerie such essence no portion of aire may subsist But all the world doth alleage that there may fower humours be perceiued to remaine in the bodies of all liuing creatures And yet what auaileth that to prooue so many elements Nay what if I should say with Thrusianus expounder of Galen vpon the art of Phisicke that there are but three humors only But leaue we this disputation and let vs speake of a more strong and forcible argument taken from the combinations and coniunctions of the elementarie qualities which are in number fower as we haue heard in our precedent discourse They alone then and apart doe not constitute an element for they cannot
is to them as an interpreter taking away the vaile from strange languages obscurenes from riddles and parables and difficultie from euerie profound and mysticall speech and opening that which is shut vp in the secret cabinets of God and nature presenteth the naked truth to be contemplated Neither must we thinke that the starre of Mercurie performeth this but so far as it may operate in bodies by disposing or else as an instrument of the diuine omnipotency as we haue heretofore declared Concordance of the aire with Venus Let vs now speake of the aire It seemeth to be answerable in nature to Venus which is hot and moist And by the foresaid order of the planets succession in course that it must be referred to Iupiter For this cause the Astronomers haue dedicated to Venus the airie liuing creatures For euen as the aire winde coupleth and conioyneth things seuered so doth the Venerian power whereupon we will note that the Academicks taught how that there were two Venuses the one Etherian and the other Aërian the highest cleanest chasteth and most temperate according with Iupiter and conioyning the superiour diuine and spirituall things the lowest most disordinate slipperie variable and lasciuious which conioyneth in lust the creatures here below Of this Venus so many ribauldries are sung by wanton Poets because she is cause of all euill euen as the other is cause of all good To which speech the saying of Saint Augustine hath relation namely that two loues haue made two cities For the well disposed and good loue of God and the loue of one neighbour to the despising of ones selfe hath edified the citie of God But the peruerse loue of ones selfe to the forgetting of God hath reared vp the citie of the diuell Moreouer the Grammarians deliuer this reason why the power of this starre is called Venus because it doth concur in all things be they good or euill And surely all is filled with loue and nothing is void thereof as all things are full of aire which filleth the naturall appetite that abhorreth emptines By loue saith Boëtius are the heauens conioyned and the elements agree with bodies compounde Through it creatures dwell together the citie is preserued and the common wealth increased Through loue God made the world and doth gouerne it and the summe of all that which he requireth of vs is loue Saint Denis in his Hierarchie speaketh thus The loue of God hath not permitted that the king of all things should remaine in himselfe without fruit And as through loue he is spread abroad in all things without himselfe so hee delighteth to attract all things to himselfe and principally man in whom all is enclosed And therefore when he shall be vnited with God euen so shall all other things be Whether then that we speake of diuine or angelicall or spirituall or quickning or naturall loue we meane a power engraffed and conioyning which mooueth the superiour things to prouidence and care for the good of the inferiour disposeth equall things in a sociable communion and in fine admonisheth inferiour things that they turne themselues to those that are better and superiour Thus speaketh this great Doctor and Philosopher But let vs pursue the subiect of our discourse We haue declared that the Academicks haue taught a double Venus The like may be said of the Aire for we consider it in two parts the one thicke and foggie which is next the earth and the other pure and aetherian next vnto the stars which being heated by force of the winde which mixeth it selfe in all things seemeth to be verie fit for the propagation and maintenance of nature for which reason also the winde and the aire are called by one name of the Hebrewes who call all things according to their properties Finally the elementarie fire is answerable to the Sunne That the fire agreeth with the sunne and to Mars who are both of the nature of fire For as the Sunne is the true and celestiall fire boyling all that which appertaineth to the viands of this great animall the world so this elementarie fire causing all things to boyle by his great heat doth perfect the nourishment of creatures liuing in the earth Both the one and other fire heateth but this driuing the humours inward and the other drawing them out This imparteth his commoditie to that onely which is neere it but the superiour bestoweth his vertue vpon the farthest remote bodies in such sort that the force of his beames pierceth euen to the bowels of the earth where it boyleth and maketh mettals which afterward the elementarie fire purgeth Moreouer as Apollo so named as of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a priuatiue letter in composition and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth multitude as being he who alone contayneth the power of the heauens and of the starres or else because that his vertue and power consisteth of many fires by which he giueth light to all the stars whose naturall vigour produceth not their effects till such time as they bee filled with the powerfull seed of this faire Phebus who is so called of his beauty amiablenes which shineth in him as he is also named Sol as soly-shining or else by a name amongst the Hebrewes which one may interpret That which properly doth subsist because that the light and benefit thereof is proper and peculiar vnto him As this faire planet I say was acknowledged by the ancient Poets and Philosophers for the inuentor of phisicke because of the quickning heat well disposing power thereof so the fire heere beneath doth aptly patterne him by reason that heating the cold frozen creatures it doth in a manner restore their life vnto them So it is heate that giueth life and fruitfulnes For egges are not conuerted into chickens nor the silkeworme into a butterflie neither do plants grow nor yet are liuing creatures nourished and warmed except either by the superior or by the quickning or by the elementarie heat which by a certaine sympathie do seeme to bee of one selfesame kinde as it were through a correspondencie Yea the fire is so fruitefull that it engendreth it selfe and giueth power to other naturall things to engender not by the heate thereof onely but by the force of the light which it receiueth from him who hath said Genes 1. I am the light of the world Wherefore Moses being desirous to make manifest that all things had beene produced by the benefite of the light after that the matter which he calleth earth turned out of darknes was made he saith that presently the light was created as that by meanes of which life and forme must be giuen to all things and aptnes to be seene Which vitall vigor did no doubt consist in the diuine fire which is called the spirit of life the which resting vpon the face of the waters infused into all things the life and the formes by which euery thing might be discerned from other But
all the regions of the earth into East West North and South so must we consider the fower principall winds which proceede out of these fower places one opposite to another Besides which there are certaine others which are called collaterall windes bicause that each of the first hath them vpon the one or other side of them so that those who haue ordinarily written concerning the windes doe appoint to the number of twelue common and ordinarie windes saying also that there are others which are proper to certaine regions and countries according to the nature of their situations and places as we may hereafter finde matter ynough thereof amply to intreat But here it will be good to touch one difficultie which may be alledged vpon our discourse Notable things in the diuersitie of the qualities of the windes and of the aire touching that which we haue said concerning the qualities of the aire For sith that it is hot and moist by nature and that the windes are nothing else but the same are mooued and puffed forwards what may be the cause that the windes doe not all of them retaine the nature of the aire For we knowe by experience that there are as many diuers qualities in the windes as in all the elements for some are hot and drie others hot and moist others moist and cold and some cold and drie Hereupon then we are to note that all creatures which subsist of a sensible and corporall nature are commonly diuided into two kindes which comprise them all The one are simple and the other compound of the first sort are the elements taken euery one alone in their proper and particular nature such as we haue already declared And all other creatures compounded of all the elements conioined togither are of the second kinde Wherefore if the elements were pure not any way mixed one with another then would each of them retaine their naturall qualities purely But bicause they are intermingled one with another they haue their qualities likewise mingled And therefore by how much the higher the aire mounteth by so much the more it is pure neat subtile and thin and by how much the lower it descendeth and approcheth the water and earth by so much the more it is grosse and thicke and partaketh more of the elements neere to which it remaineth And according as it is warmed by the heate of the sunne or by any other heate or else as it is cooled by the absence and default thereof euen so doth it become either more hot or more cold The like also may be said concerning the naturall moisture thereof For according as it is more or lesse mixed with water or neere vnto it so doth it receiue either a more moist or a more drie qualitie So therfore according to the places out of which the windes proceed issue and through which they passe they are hotter or colder drier or moisture pure or impure healthfull and holesome or pestilent and infectious yea euen stinking And for the same cause also it commeth to passe that as the diuersitie of lands and countries is disposed so winds which are felt in one place warme are in another place cold and so is it of their moisture and drines By the same reason also those that are healthfull for some are vnholesome for others and those which bring with them faire and cleere weather in one place doe in another place bring raine and tempests For the propertie of some of them is according to the countries wherein they blowe to chase away the cloudes and to make the aire cleere and the weather faire whereas others doe assemble and heape them togither Whereupon ensueth that some bring raine with them others snowe and others againe haile and tempests according as God hath ordained the causes in nature as the sequele of our discourse shall minister occasion againe to speake of Wherefore pursuing the order of our speech we will consider those things which are conioyned to the fire and aire and doe depend vpon their effects as are thunders and lightnings Whereof ARAM doe you discourse Of thunder and lightning Chapter 43. ARAM. THere is a certaine vniuersall loue and appetite in all creatures which inciteth them all to loue their owne kinde to desire it and to search after it But as their natures are diuers euen so is the loue and the appetite which is in them And therefore there are as many sortes of desires as there are diuersities of natures And thence it is that the fire and the aire doe naturally desire the highest places and doe thither tend euermore as the water and the earth doe require the lowest and doe thereto descend incessantly neither can these elements finde any stay or rest vntill they be arriued at those places which are appointed vnto them by nature And therefore what hinderance soeuer there may be yet euery thing doth alwaies seeke to returne to his naturall home and therein doth all possible endeuour Now here we are to consider the cause of thunders lightnings tempests earthquakes and such like motions and perturbations in the elements For all these things happen when the creatures which by their contraries are hindered from pursuing their owne kinde do fight with those which keepe them backe as if there were open warre betwixt them Which causeth that that which by force can make way doth at last vanquish But bicause of the resistance which there is this cannot be performed without great violence and maruellous noise from whence proceede many admirable effects and namely thunder which hath ministred occasion to many great spirits to search out the causes somewhat neerely But mens opinions as in a very deepe matter are diuers hereupon Of the causes of thunder For some maintaine that thunder is caused by the blowes and strokes that the fire maketh being inclosed within the cloudes which it cleaueth so making it selfe to appeere as is seene in lightnings Aristotle in his Meteors writeth that thunder groweth and proceedeth of hot and drie exhalations ascending out of the earth into the supreme region of the aire being there repulsed backe by the beames of the stars into the cloudes For these exhalations desiring to set themselues at libertie and to free themselues doe cause this noise which is often stopped by nature whilest they fight with the cloudes but when they can gaine issue then doe they make the cloude to cracke like a bladder full of winde that is broken by force Moreouer Plinie imitating the opinion of the Epicure teacheth Plin. hist natur lib. 2. that those fires which fall from the starres as we see often in calme weather may sometimes meete with the cloudes and fall vpon them and that by the vehemencie of this blowe the aire is mooued And that this fire plunging it selfe into the cloudes causeth a certaine thicke and hissing smoke which maketh a noise like an hot iron thrust into water From whence the whirlewindes which we see in the aire
in them by them but to him alone must attribute to him the totall glorie thereof to depend wholy vpon him and vpon his prouidence Now if we shall consider all creatures in their originall and end ordained by God we shall finde that they are all good and ordained by the creator for the benefit of the good And yet it might seeme that he hath established some things principally to take vengeance on the wicked as by this text of scripture Iob. 32. where the Lord saith to Iob Hast thou entred into the treasures of the snowe or hast thou seene the treasures of the haile which I haue hid against the time of trouble against the day of warre and battell In which text is deliuered vnto vs a goodly doctrine of the forme and of the place where the snow and haile are engendred to wit in the chambers builded by God among the waters which he gardeth as treasures and congealeth them to serue him for scourges to chastise and punish the froward Psal 147. For it is he as the Psalmist chaunteth who giueth snowe like wooll and scattereth the hoare frost like ashes He casteth foorth his ice like morsels who can abide the cold thereof He sendeth his worde and melteth them he causeth his winde to blowe and the waters flowe This is he also as saith Ecclesiasticus which hasteneth the snowe by his commandement Eccles 43. and strengtheneth the cloudes with great force to make the hailestones cracke The south winde bloweth according to his wil the storme of the north and the whirlewinde flying out like birds scatter the snowe and the falling downe thereof is as an heape of grashoppers or locusts that light downe in any countrie The eie hath the whitenes thereof in admiration and the hart is astonished at the fall of it The Lord powreth out the frost vpon the earth like salt which when it is frozen sticketh on the tops of pales The cold north winde bloweth and the water is frozen it abideth vpon the gatherings togither of the water and clotheth the water as with a brestplate It deuoureth the mountaines and burneth the wildernes and destroieth that that is greene like fire The present remedie against all this is a cloude and the deaw comming before the heate appeaseth it It is also written in the booke of Iob The whirlewinde commeth out of the heape of cloudes and the cold from the northwinde Iob. 37. at the breath of God the frost is giuen and the bredth of the waters is made narrow And therefore the Lord saith to Iob Out of whose wombe came the ice who hath engendred the frost of the heauen The waters are hid as with a stone and the face of the deepe is couered Iob. 38. Which is as much to say as the waters take to them the forme of a stone when they are conuerted into haile and ice and that the sea is frozen ouer for when the water is frozen it seemeth to be hid and lost and to be no more water Surely in these discourses we haue much to consider concerning the woonders of God For is it not an admirable thing that the water which is so soft and runs so swiftly should become as hard as stones and that it can fall from heauen in such forme yea sometimes so great that it doth not onely spoile the fruits of the earth but doth also breake the branches of trees and kil men and beasts Hereof that is a certaine testimonie which we read concerning the haile which God sent vpon the Egyptians Exod. 9. by the ministerie of Moses Iosh 10. and vpon the Amorites in the time of Ioshuah in the warre of the Gibeonites Indeede this was done contrarie to the common course of nature in respect of the Egyptians especially For their land is not moistned nor watred with raine from heauen but onely by the riuer Nilus And therefore the power of God was euidently shewed Deut. 11. when he caused so great haile to fall downe vpon the enimies of his people that no man could iudge it to be naturall For haile is made of raine frozen in the aire and is different from snow and mists in that the haile is engendred of raine more hard frozen snowe of moisture more softly thickned and mists and fogs of cold deawes So that when the congealed water is frozen by a strong colde it becommeth haile if by a small cold it engendreth small drisling haile such as falles commonly in the spring time as in March and Aprill But this me thinketh is worthie of greatest wonder that the water in sommer time should be congealed into haile and that during the great heate of the sunne the greatest congelation should be made from whence commeth this word amongst the Latines Grando which is as much to say as a great drop of water which is not seene in winter when euery thing through the exceeding colde freezeth here on earth or if so be this happen in such a time it is spoken of as a new and strange thing that comes not ordinarily in this season like the snowe and mists which are proper to winter and cold weather For though the Naturalists trauell much to shew that all things are produced by inferior and naturall causes yet must we principally acknowledge a diuine puissance aboue all who hath causes hidden in his incomprehensible treasures from men by which the haile thunder lightning tempestes and stormes are disposed and dispersed according to his good pleasure Exod. 16. For as God made knowne to his people by the Manna which he sent them in the wildernes wherewith he nourished them for the space of fortie yeeres in a barren and vnhabitable place that he could euermore very easily finde meanes ynough both ordinarie and extraordinarie to nourish and maintaine them so hath he made manifest by the rods and scourges wherewith he hath beaten the Egyptians that he can euermore very easily inuent meanes ynow to punish his enimies so often and whensoeuer he pleaseth yea euen then when there shall be no appeerance thereof amongst men Now as God when he pleaseth conuerteth the water into stones Of the frozen water and how it is thawed and so hardneth it that by great cold he doth as it were paue not onely riuers ponds and lakes but also great seas which he maketh so firme that one may passe ouer them yea and draw ouer great and heauy chariots as it were ouer bridges and firme land so when it pleaseth him he causeth all this water so hardened to returne into the proper kinde thereof as if it had neuer beene frozen And as there be windes to congeale it so there are windes to dissolue and thaw it For wee must note that yee doth not dissolue and thaw by the heate of the sunne onely but also by the power of the windes ordained hereto yea and much sooner so then otherwise Concerning all which things and the causes of them
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
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
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 care which it taketh to hatch and nourish hir chickens yea though they be not of hir owne kinde And it is a pretie pastime to make an hen hatch ducke-egges For at first when they open the shell she knoweth them not and neuertheles hauing beene a little accustomed to them she doth nourish them as carefully as if they were naturally her owne And when these yoong duckes according to their kinde cast themselues into the water it is a woonder to see the mourning of the hen fearing least ill should betide them Of the pigeon The pigeon likewise is an house-bird much to be considered of and bringeth no lesse profit and commoditie then pullen doe It is very chaste by nature and neuer changeth mate neither cocke nor hen and yet the cocks are very rude towards the hens beating them with their bils and chiding them with a kinde of grumbling in their throat as if they were iealous But afterwards as if they repented themselues they make much of them and bill togither running round about them and specially when their time of treading is come Both cocke and hen take great paines to hatch their yoong ones insomuch that when the hens are idle and tarie not in the nest the cockes will correct and beate them with their beakes But they doe likewise aide them as well helping them to make their nests as to serue them while they hatch yea and the cocke doth sometimes hatch in the day-time It is their propertie to bill togither before they tread And they lay ordinarily two egges out of which issue both cocke and hen that is the cocke first and the hen the morrow after They hatch commonly eighteene or twentie daies and breede after fiue times treading And one shall sometimes finde egges with little pigeons in them and shall see in one nest some yoong ones but newly out of the shell and some that are ready to flie They may lay egges eight or ten times a yeere but the ordinarie vse is to take out fower good layings They are of sundrie colours of feathers but the ashcoloured or the browne or the blacke are best the rough footed and tufted are most barren and domesticall so are the blacke and white checkered but those that seeme guilded about the necke and that haue the eie and foote redde are the freest and fruitfullest the white are good to hatch and most in danger of the kite and birds of pray the yealow and red are very barren They haue all this maruailous qualitie to giue their young ones at first some corne of salt grauell so to prouoke their appetite and season them to eat when time shall bee Now mee thinketh wee haue staied long enough in this matter sith we will not heere describe a naturall historie of creatures and sith that which wee haue discoursed concerning fowles hath beene onely for that wee will not depriue the aire of the naturall creatures thereof as wee will endeuour to do the like in the behalfe of the earth and water whereof the sequele of our speech requireth vs to entreat to accomplish our discourse concerning the elements First then let vs speake of the earth and of the firmenes figure and quantitie thereof And it is your turne ARAM to discourse thereupon Of the earth and of the scituation immobility figure and quality thereof Chapter 55. ARAM. AS wee haue heretofore heard that vnder the name of heauen is comprised commonly both the supreme and middle region of the aire and all things also which are conioined vnto them and depending vpon their effects namely of the two higher elements the fire the aire so by the name of earth wee do often vnderstand not onely the lowest element of all which is as the foot of all this mundane frame but also the sea which is next to it and the lakes ponds fountaines riuers and other waters and all that is contained in them and in the earth and which receiueth life and nourishment whether they be men beasts of all kindes plants trees hearbs fruits mettals mines minerals stones and generally all other things produced here below for the vse of all other creatures Pursuing then the order of our discourse wee will first intreate of that which concernes in generall the terrestriall globe and afterwards will meditate of the most rare beawties which enrich the partes thereof to the end to represent vnto our selues more and more the greatnes and glorie of the creator of all these things as we haue already well begun in the matters by vs hitherto intreated of Scituation of the earth Now it is certaine that by reason of the waight and heauines of the earth it is necessarily situated in the midst of the world as the center thereof being the lowest place and the farthest remote from the circumference of the whole And from which the earth cannot be parted for otherwise it should mount aloft contrarie to the naturall inclination thereof as likewise it cannot be mooued by the first and vniuersall motion of all the spheres by reason of the foresaid heauines thereof and subtilitie of the other elements which are about it and againe bicause it is of insensible quantitie in respect of the whole world as being the point and center thereof being also vnmooueable to the end that the motion of the heauens might thereby bee discerned and that which dependeth thereupon Immobility of the earth And as the seate of the elementarie fire doth not extend beyond the fire and as that of the water is in the place of water and that of the aire where the aire should be so the earth can retaine no place but in it selfe bicause that the other elements cannot suffer it to rest vpon them Which causeth that it remaineth hanged amongst them not being able to fall nor decline more towards one place then another Wherfore also it is made habitable in euery part except it be by accident The earth habitable throughout so that men are therefore Antipodes one to another that is going feete against feete hauing neuertheles all of them their heads towards heauen and meeting each of them in the midst of the earth Now that it is iustly situate in the midst of the vniuers one may see by experience of the daies and nights which are equall throughout the whole earth so often as the sunne is in the midst of heauen betwixt the poles of the worlde as also by the augmentations and diminutions of the same daies and nights regularly proportioned one to another as we haue demōstrated in our precedent discourses vpon the celestiall spheres and likewise by the eclipses of the moone by the inclination of shadowes which at noontide are one proportionable to another as well on the meridionall as on the septentrionall part That the earth is round Moreouer there is no doubt but the earth togither with the whole element of water which is spread abroad and dispersed in diuers armes and portions
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
the fire considering also that heat hath but little motion except it attaine to the height thereof whereas otherwise it doth quench it selfe And therefore it is that matter which burneth vnder the earth that ministreth this puissant heat which doth so warme the water And wee may moreouer note that all those waters which boyle so are naturally light and haue some medicinable facultie and propertie And yet they are not to be so much accounted of as that which is fit for common vsage in mens affaires to preserue health What water is best For good water hath neither colour smel nor sauour and is passing cleere and being drunke it abideth not long in the belly such they say is the water of the riuer Euleus which falleth from the mountaine Zager by Susiana whereof the kings of Persia did make prouision in their expeditions and warlike voyages For to the preseruation of health water is no lesse to bee carefully chosen Diuers causes of cold waters and their tasts colours and smelles then aire Now as warme waters are famous for the reasons heretofore deliuered so there are some waters also verie much admired for their great coldnes whereof snowe marble mettals cold aire sudden motion and the great fall from aloft euerie one in his degree may be the cause Againe the sauours or tastes of waters are verie diuers and the principal cause thereof is heat For sodden earth which is of sundry sorts giueth a tast to water according to the quality thereof And the like reason is concerning colours for fine thin clay doth cause the colour of waters but thick clay tarrieth not in water and therefore dieth it not The same cause is also in the difference of smels And alwaies waters that are of a good smel are profitable for creatures but stinking waters cause diseases for as Philosophers say contrarie causes appertaine to contrarie things Good water likewise is lightest as that which fleeteth aboue other water be it in riuers springs or wels From whence it commeth that fresh water floateth vpon sea water which likewise being more massiue and waightie beareth more heauie burdens And amongst fresh waters the water of Rhodanus or Rosne in France swimmeth vpon that of the lake of Geneua passing ouer the midst thereof Also many rare properties and great woonders are written concerning waters with the causes of them as that Of a floud which ran not on the sabboth day which is reported by Iosephus of a certaine floud in Iudea neere Syria which ranne euery day except vpon the Sabbaoth day which was reputed a matter religious and as a myracle although that this might happen and come to passe through a naturall cause if we will so argue to wit that no more water was gathered into this floud by orderly spaces then was sufficient to runne for sixe daies and not for the seuenth in such sort as Phisitions render a like cause concerning the renewings or fits and ceasings of feauers For the world is the great man as man is the little worlde But not stretching this discourse any farther we will onelie note for conclusion thereof that in the diuersitie of the kindes of waters that which is gathered togither in one place is salt Of the diuers appellations of waters is called the sea the fresh water so gathered togither is called a lake if it mooue not at all it is named a marish or fen but if it be somewhat deepe it is a standing poole and if it runne then is it a riuer if it gather through raines or by snowe then is it a torrent or raine-floud and if it spring it is a fountaine which is euer the best water and doth slowliest putrifie For it is least moist and is most concocted by the heauenly heate Also the lightest water doth hardliest corrupt for which cause it is most fit for the maintenance of mans life as approching neerest to the substance of the aire by which we breath We haue said enough then concerning this matter But me thinketh that our succeeding discourse requireth that we should entreate of those commodities which men receiue by waters through nauigation which ACHITOB shall be the subiect of your discourse Of the commodities which men reape of the waters by nauigation and of the directions which sea-men receiue from heauen and from the starres vpon the sea Chap. 60. ACHITOB AMongst such things as are woorthie of consideration in the sea and in other waters we must not passe ouer in silence those goodly commodities and great profits which they bring vnto men by the meanes of nauigations and of the dealings and trafficks which they exercise by them For it is to be noted that euery land and countrey cānot be furnished with al commodities bicause God hath so disposed therof that some abound in those things which othersome do greatly want stand in need of But by meanes of sayling by water all that which can be required may be transported from one countrey to another with very small trouble charges so that one nation may communicate those commodities with another which the creator hath particularly bestowed on them all each granting mutuall helpe to the other by this meanes Wherin surely we may acknowledge the prouidence of God to be verie great manifold Of the prouidence of God in distribution of his gifts For first the Lord hath disposed of his creatures and distributed his treasures according to the diuersity of landes and countries euen in such manner as he diuideth his gifts and graces amongst men For he bestoweth not all either vpon one or vpon two or vpon three or vpon any other certaine number of them And therefore there neuer hath beene nor shall be any one which either could or may surpasse all others so much that hee may haue no need of another or that hath sufficient for himselfe For if one man possessed all he would thinke himselfe to be no more a man but a God rather and would therefore contemne all others Moreouer it is most certaine that if euery one were so well furnished with all things that they might all surpasse one another there would be no humane societie For one would make no account of another but being all puffed vp with pride whereto they are naturally enclined there woulde arise a thousand quarrels and dissensions amongst them as wee ordinarily see to happen amongst the proud mightie puissant and rich For seeing that charitie which should dwell amongst men can take no place how could they be vnited and allied togither in amitie if they were not constrained therto through necessitie and if it be a difficult matter to conioine and maintaine them in peace and mutuall good will what neede soeuer they haue one of another one may easilie iudge what woulde ensue if they had not necessitie for their mistresse to this effect which causeth them to do in spight of al their abilities that which she cannot obtaine of them
great and dangerous temptations and afflictions Now the tyrannie malice crueltie and peruersnes of the wicked serueth in all these things for his children and to his glorie through his prouidence notwithstanding that he hateth all the wicked vsing them only as rods and scourges to chastise and punish those whom he pleaseth as he is likewise serued by diuels without approouing their works insomuch as they proceed from themselues But there is more yet For considering that God hath not created men like vnto beasts onely to liue in this world with a corporall temporall life but hath made them to immortality and eternall life like the angels he will then by the aduersities which he sendeth vnto them heere giue them to vnderstand that other blessings doe attend for them far greater then those which may be tasted vpon earth and which are common betwixt them and beasts Behold then the fruit which me seemeth must be gathered in our discourse this day now to morrow wee will step out of the sea and waters to take land againe and to consider vpon the treasures and benefits therein which it produceth for the commoditie of men and the diuersitie of creatures that liue therein whereof ASER you shall begin to discourse The end of the eighth daies worke THE NINTH DAIES WORKE Of fruits and of the fertilitie of the earth and the causes thereof and of herbs trees and plants Chap. 65. ASER. AS the holy scripture teacheth vs that before God did create the beasts of the earth Genes 1. he commaunded the earth that was discouered and free from the waters to bud foorth the bud of the herbe that seedeth seede the fruitfull tree which beareth fruit according to his kinde which hath his seede in it selfe vpon the earth and it was so we must likewise vnderstand that this commandement had not such vertue for that time onely but that it endureth and remaineth alwaies and so will doe till the consummation of the world For all herbes trees and plants that the earth euer hath borne doth beare or shall beare euen from the creation of the same vntill the end of the world doe proceede from the first ordinance and eternall word of the soueraigne by which all things haue beene created Wherefore Moses to the ende that men might acknowledge this diuine power which maketh the earth so fruitful doth expressely tell vs that God gaue this fertilitie before there was any sunne moone or starre in heauen For hee saith that these goodly lights were created the fourth day but that the production of herbs What is the cause of the fertility of the earth trees plants was on the third day Thereby then we must learne that although the sun moone and starres besides the husbandrie of man do serue by the ordinance of God for to make the earth fertile yet for all that it can bring foorth no fruit if the word and blessing of the Almightie do not giue it power For as it was fertile before it was aided by the starres euen so is it now in regarde of the tillage and husbandrie of man For there was neither man nor beast when it budded foorth the fruites which God commanded it to beare yea so much wanteth it to become fruitful by the trauell of man that to the contrarie it hath lost very much fertilitie and a great part thereof hath become barren since his first creation bicause of his sinne For in lieu of the blessing that God at first gaue thereunto Genes 3. he said afterwards to the man that it should be cursed for his sake and that it should bring foorth thornes and thistles and that he should eate the fruits thereof in sorrow For these causes then we must alwaies haue respect to the power of the word and of the blessing of God by which all things haue been created in their order as we haue heretofore declared and man last of al as the master-peece of the Lords worke Who hauing determined in his eternall counsell to create man after his owne image and likenes to the end that he might in this visible world represent his creator as in his most liuely semblance was not onely pleased to build him his lodging first to wit the whole world but would also replenish and furnish it euery where to the end that nothing might be found emptie But that which is herein to bee chiefly considered is that this diuine prouidence hauing giuen essence to all corporall creatures hath therewithall prouided necessarie meanes to keepe and preserue them all in their natures For minding to giue life to birds to fishes and to the beastes of the earth he had already prepared their foode before he had created them and had ordained the earth as the mother and the nurse of all creatures which are engendred and which dwell and are conuersant therein How creatures are nourished and preserued and in the waters and aire also for the birds and fishes Moreouer as all bodies are composed of fire of aire of earth and of water so the Lords will was that all these enimies should conioine togither and receiue aide one from another to the preseruation of liuing creatures by vertue of the alliance and agreement which is not onely betwixt the said elements but also betwixt them and the celestiall spheres as wee haue alreadie discoursed For considering that they be the principles of things hauing life they cannot liue nor be naturally conserued but by meane of the very same elements from which they take their originall And therefore the prouidence of God causeth that they doe all accord togither to nourish and maintaine those creatures which he hath made and created But seeing that we are in talke of the fertilitie of the Earth Of the fertility of the earth ordayned by God to that ende according as we haue declared who is it that can number the diuers kinds of herbs of trees and of all sorts of plants which it produceth And who is it that can but onely name and finde proper denominations agreeable vnto them And if we should speake of their diuersities and varieties in rootes in stalks in stockes in tops in branches in boughes in leaues in shapes in flowers in colours in seeds in fruits in tastes in smels and in sauours who would not maruell verie much We see how the Lord speaking onely of the Lilly of the field doth testifie that Salomon in all his royaltie was not adorned like one of those and therefore he bringeth it as a testimonie of his goodnes in reproch of those which take care for their clothing as if they distrusted in the prouidence of God Matth. 6. Luk. 12. and as if they supposed him not able enough to apparell them or at least that he had not so much care of men as he hath of the herbs and flowers of the field which he endueth and decketh with so gallant clothing with so many sorts of excellent faire colours and yet
these is the Cinamon which though that whiles Rome flourished as many authors record it was planted in diuers places yet now is there not any of it to bee founde throughout Italie nay in all Europe But Asia aboundeth therewith in many places yea so doth Arabia foelix in diuers parts and much more India especially in one island called Monorique the mountaines whereof beare plentie of Cinamon-trees Of the tree that beareth cinamon This tree is somewhat like to our Laurell tree hauing many branches at the ende whereof it beareth very small blossomes which being dried by the heate of the sunne and fallen on the ground there is formed thereof a little round fruit not much bigger then an hasell nut out of the kernell whereof the Islanders doe extract good oile wherewith the diseased doe rub their sinewes and other inâ—â—â—â— parts The king of Monorique receiueth great prâ—â— through these trees for none may be permitted to touch them without his licence And certaine moneths of the yeere he causeth some twigges and syons to be cut the smallest and finest that may bee in the tree and the barke of them to be peeled off which is sold very deere to such strangers as trafficke therein For this is the best of the tree But the Cinamon which is brought hither is nothing else but the second barke that is peeled off which being cut with a little knife rowleth vp togither of it selfe Propertie of cinamon and changeth colour Moreouer the propertie of Cinamon is to dry and heate to the third degree for it consisteth of very subtile partes and is very sharpe in taste and of a certaine quicke astriction by means whereof it taketh away and dissolueth the superfluities of the body fortifieth the members There is a distilled water made of Cinamon which is strong in smell and taste and is of great vertue For take a pound of Cinamon braie it and put it into a vessell with fower pound of Rose-water and halfe a pound of white wine then set your vessel being very close stopped in warme water and then make your distillation in the same water being placed vpon a furnace wherein the fire is temperately maintained in such sort that the saide warme water do alwaies boile And this distilled water is verie soueraigne against all diseases that come through colde for it dissolueth and consumeth fleame and clammie humors and chaseth away all windines It doth especially comfort the stomack the liuer the spleene the braine and the sinewes It is a singular and present remedie against faintnesse of the hart against paines and prickings of the mouth and stomacke it resisteth poisons and bitings of venemous beasts it prouoketh vrine and the flowers in women It is good for those that haue short breath that are sicke of the palsie or haue the falling sicknes And in a word when neede is to heat to open to pierce to resolue and to comfort this water is very profitable therefore Now let vs speake of the tree that beareth Cassia Of the tree bearing cassia For it is in the number of the greatest and most singular trees The woode thereof is massiue close of the colour of boxe neere the barke and blacke in the midst like Ebonie When it is greene it hath a bad smell but this sauour doth weare away being drie It beareth certaine cods which hang vpon the branches verie long round and massiue which being ripe waxe blacke and somewhat reddish And they are full of a soft and blacke sappe like to thicke creame not sticking altogither like marrow in a bone but is contained as it were in little cases being one separated from another by thinne skins set very close togither betwixt euery one of which there is a very hard graine In Egypt and in India are very many of these Cassia trees and in the isle of Taprobana Their cods are not very great but cleare heauie and verie full in such sort that if they be shaken one cannot heare the graines rattle therein and these are the best The sappe or iuice of them is hot and moist in the thirde degree Property of the cassia It is lenitiue and loosening and purifieth the bloud It stancheth heat of choler and doth moderately loosen the belly It is marueilous profitable for those that cannot make water especially if it be vsed with medicines that prouoke vrine It purgeth choler and fleame and mollifieth the breast and the throate and resolueth inflammations therein it clenseth the raines from grauell and sand if it bee drunke with the decoction of licor as and other simples fit to prouoke vrine and if it be often taken it hindreth the stone in the raines Besides all this it is good against hotte agues and being outwardly applied it asswageth inflammations Amongst aromaticall trees the tree that beareth frankincense is woorthie to be considered of Of the franckincense tree The forme thereof is somwhat like to a pine and out of it runs a liquor that afterwardes waxeth hard which we call frankincense whereof there are two sorts One sort is gathered in sommer in the dogge-daies in the greatest burning heate of the yeere at which time the barke is split being then fullest of moisture And this frankincense is whitish transparent and pure The other kinde is gathered in the Spring time by meanes of another incision which is made in this tree in winter and it is somewhat redde approching nothing neere either in goodnes or value or else in waight or vertue to the first Arabia hath many forrests wherein frankincense is found And the inhabitants of the countrey do lance the trees with a knife to cause them distill gumme the better or else the liquor whereof it is made Propertie of franckincense amongst which trees there are some that may yeeld aboue threescore pounds euery yeere Moreouer being taken in drinke it is very good against Dysenterias and fluxes of the bellie It encreaseth the memorie chaseth awaie sadnes reioiceth the hart is profitable for all the passions therof It also staieth the bleeding at nose being incorporated with the white of an egge and aloes and put into the nosthrils in a tent It likewise appeaseth the paines of the megrim being mixed with myrrh and glaire of an egge and applied to the forehead and temples It is also hot in the second degree and drie in the first and hath some astriction which is but little founde in that which is white Of the tree that beares mirrh Let vs speake of myrrhe which groweth abundantly in the same regions where frankincense doth The tree which beareth it is full of prickles in some places being of fiue or sixe cubites high very hard and crooked and thicker then the frankincense tree the barke smooth like a laurell tree and the leaues like those of the oliue tree but rougher hauing certaine sharpe prickles at the end Out of this tree there distilleth a gummie liquor like teares which hardneth
and that fill to the third part of the pot or bodie then couer it with the head thereof verie well closed so that no vapour may issue out set it vpon the furnace ouer a moderate fire in such sort that the wine boyle not And to haue verie good Aqua-vitae you must distill it fower or fiue times and more for the more it is rectified the perfecter it will be And in the first distillation it is sufficient to receiue the tenth part of the wine put into the limbeck for the second the halfe for the third another moitie or lesse so that the oftner you distill the lesser you haue but better alwaies Now you may know whether Aqua-vitae haue attained to full perfection by these signes If it arise to the like quantitie of water or verie neere as the liquor put in if being lighted or set on fire it burne al away and leaue not any marke of moysture in the bottome of the vessell if a doth being dipt therein and lighted will not burne at all if a drop of oyle being cast therein sinke to the bottom and if a drop of this water spilt in the palme of your hand doe presently consume and euaporate Now the vertues and properties of this Aqua-vitae are verie many For as it preserueth from all corruption those things which haue beene steeped therein so all corruption being done away it keepeth repaireth mantaineth augmenteth and prolongeth the life of those that receiue it And it doth not onely preserue the naturall heat and mantaine it in vigour but it also regenerateth the vitall spirit quickneth and warmeth the stomacke sharpneth the braine and vnderstanding cleereth the sight repaireth the memorie especially if they vse it who are of a cold temper being subiect to rawnes of stomacke windines and other cold maladies Thus then haue we declared enough concerning the plants and fruits which the earth produceth for the commoditie of man Wherefore we will to morrow consider of the diuersitie of terrestriall creatures created to the same ende that we may be the more induced to glorifie him from whom we receiue all these benefits The end of the tenth daies worke THE ELEVENTH DAIES WORKE Of terrestriall beasts and especially of Serpents namely of the Aspis or Adder and of the Viper Chapter 81. ASER. BEing this day to discourse concerning liuing creatures of the Earth so much as the subiect of our speech doth require for the accomplishment of our worke It behooueth vs to consider that the terrestriall beasts being as it were innumerable in the species yet they consist of two principall kindes to wit of Insect and of perfect beasts They of the first kinde are called of the Latins by this word Insecta because of the incisions which appeere vpon their bodies retayning life in that part which we behold diuided and cut off and they are engendred for the most part of putrefaction but these things agree not with perfect creatures who take their forme in the matrice Now we will here summarily entreat of Insect animals generally and consequently of the most excellent of their kinde whereof some creepe vpon the earth Of Insect beasts as serpents others fly as flies We are first then to note that all insect beasts are wilde and are verie hardly tamed and made milde for they haue their inner senses verie weak whereas such creatures as are made tame and familiar must haue the facultie of imagination and good memorie Moreouer these kindes of beasts haue little blood or none at all as Philosophers hold who finde in them a certaine vitall humour onely which Nature hath giuen them insteed of blood for which cause they are naturally fearfull and feare hindreth creatures from being tamed Likewise they haue commonly but short life and beasts who should be made familiar require time for that purpose Furthermore in this kinde of Insect beasts some are engendred onely of putrefaction as flies others of egs as serpents and also by another manner which is perfected in the matrice by egs as the viper Now in al this kind of beasts they are most admirable which we haue heere named to wit serpents because of their greatnes and puissant effects and hony-flies or bees and silke-wormes also because of their worke But amongst the many kindes of serpents Of the Aspis the Aspis or Adder is very worthie of consideration and much to bee feared for there are three sorts each whereof causeth him that is bitten by them soone to die except he bee quickly and very well succoured One sort is named Ptyas another Chersaea both earth-serpēts and the third is called Chelidonia which abideth about banks of riuers specially of Nilus The Ptyas and Chersaea are of ashie and greene colour drawing a little to the colour of gold But the Chelidonia hath a blacke backe and white belly like to swallowes And both the one and the other sort are of fiue cubits long in the regions of Africa They raise vp their necke when they will cast their venim wherewith when one is attayned their present remedie is speedily to cut away all that which is bitten or else it is hard to saue them from death and yet many speake of diuers remedies and amongst others they commend verie strong vineger aduising that it should be giuen to the patient to drinke euen so much and for so long time till he feele the qualitie in the right side of his flanks for they say that the liuer is first depriued of feeling in such an accident Some vse Opopanax a drug extracted out of Panaces Heracleum which is giuen to drinke in wine mixed with water to cause them vomit the venim alreadie spread throughout the whole bodie And after such vomiting they must take verie good treacle in drinke and apply it also vpon the biting Mattheolus describeth a quintessence In. Diosco◠Lib. 6. composed of Aqua-vitae and some simples and aromaticall drugs which is an excellent remedie of great efficacie when such accidents happen For indeed it is most certaine that waters artificially composed and ingeniously distilled consisting of most subtile parts are in a moment dispersed throughout all the veines and arteries and euerie part of the whole bodie And therefore they cause that the blood and spirits waxe not cold and doe not congeale in those vessels which containe them whereby also the naturall heat comming to augment it selfe doth strongly resist the force of the venim and doth presently surmount it The Viper also is a kinde of serpent it hath a flat head Of the viper and broad neere to the ioint of the necke which is naturally small it hath a quicke eie and a naile in the nosthrill thereof hauing all the rest of the bodie short with the taile also and is of a pale colour Her pace and motion is verie quicke and she beareth her head aloft she differeth from other serpents in that they lay but egs and she bringeth foorth her yoong ones aliue which before
is to be esteemed which hath a liuely and couragious hart which is obedient gentle deliuer quicke and wel mouthed hauing a good foot What haire is best and strong reines For haire the bay is best of all others which being of diuers colours doe depend neuerthelesse vpon these fower bay rushet blacke and gray For these fower colours proceed of fower principall humors whereof the bodie of an horse is composed and which agree and accord with the fire aire earth and water For choler which resembleth the fire engendreth the bay blood which accordeth with the aire produceth the rushet or reddish coloured Fleame which is answerable to the water causeth the gray and melancholy which agreeth with the earth begetteth the blacke The bay haire then excelleth all others as beeing that which beareth the signe and marke of a couragious horse hardie in warre and most singular in iusts and combats in so much as hee feareth nothing nor looseth courage howsoeuer he feele himselfe wounded because also hee seeth not by reason of his colour the bloud runne streaming out of his bodie The russet haire betokeneth a quick hardy and prompt horse but not of great force and the black is melancholy and vnsound and the gray is heauy and fearefull Moreouer by how much more these colours are diuersified and mixed with markes and spots by so much is the goodnes or badnes of the horse greater We may also say truely Of the commodity by Horses that amongst all the beasts which God hath created for the seruice of man there is not one which may compare with the horse either in beauty labor vnderstanding or profit and commodity For the horse onely serueth for an honorable grace for man who makes him to goe at his pleasure sometimes softly sometimes a pace now a trot anon a gallop another time with swift posting speede and sometimes he plaieth with him causing him to make many risings and diuers curâ—ets bounds and leapes another time he maketh him runne wheeling about in a round ring then to bound and rebound and lastly to goe easily forwardes And by meanes of this vse and exercise a man chaseth away melancholie humors fortifieth his stomack and whole bodie and augmenteth his disposition grace and ability Moreouer there is no iourney so difficult which hee will not vndertake with a good horse knowing that he can passe any whither and saue himselfe from the assaults of theeues and robbers yea and oftentimes the horse fighteth with feete and teeth for the safety of his maister But these generous beasts doe especially declare their valor and courage in the cruell encounters of battailes and fights beeing incited by the fearefull noise of gunshot by the hideous thundering of cannons by the sounding of trumpets and rumbling of drummes then I say when all beeing in confusion it seemeth that the earth opens that the place flies in peecs and that hell swallowes vp all in respect of the shiuering of launces clinking of armor and the dreadfull cries of men who are there by thousands hewen in pieces And many do scape by the onely meanes of their horses God shewing them such fauour as histories are full of testimonies thereof and of the admirable sense wherewith nature hath endued these beastes Amongst which Alexanders horse Bucephalus is very much celebrated chiefly because that hee would not suffer any to ride him but his maister although he had beene cloathed in kingly robes It is also said that this horse beeing wounded at an assault of Thebes he would not permit Alexander to mount vpon another till such time as hee had brought him out of all danger Hist nat lib. â— c. 42. Plinie reporteth that a certaine king of Scythia beeing ouerthrowne in battell when his enimie came to disarme him his horse ranne vpon him with such fury that he killed him reuenging so the death of his maister And that after the death of king Nicomedes who was slaine his horse would neuer eat but died through hunger and sorrowe And that one named Antiochus seazing vpon an horse of one Galatus slaine in fight mounted thereupon reioicing at the death of the other which the horse of the dead-man vnderstanding did in rage and despight so fling and runne that he bare Antiochus ouer mountaines and rocks casting himselfe at last downe from an high place so breaking his owne and his riders neck But wee haue said enough hereof Now ACHITOE let vs heare you continue the discourse concerning beasts Of the Elephant of the Camell and of the Rhinoceros Chap. 84. ACHITOB. IT seemeth that there is no beast which approcheth neerer to the sense of man then the Elephant For he is endued with so excellent witte discretion and memorie that he surpasseth in these guifts all other beasts Of the Elephant as he doth in strength also He is bigger then two great oxen couered with black haire hauing eies like to those of swine and such a mouth also beeing couered with a truncke or snout that hangs downe to the ground which serueth him for an hand to put his victuals into his mouth both meate and drinke and out of both sides thereof two great tuskes do issue which are fastned in his vpper iaw His eares are two spans broad his thighs and legs thick and long in such sort that some are found of fifteene foot high his nailes beeing fiue in number about his feete are round and each naile a palme broad and his taile is about three handfuls long In many regions of Africa they vse these elephants to ride ordinarily vpon and they serue for many domestick businesses also so that the trafficke of them there is as that of horses here But the Indians vse them in the war putting vpon this beast a certaine saddle beeing girt very streight about him with two iron chaines vpon which they set two wooden houses on either side one and in each of those houses doe three men lodge betweene which houses and the elephants neck is a little seat placed vpon which a man sitteth like as if hee were on horse back who guideth this beast by his words which he vnderstandeth very well and he carrieth neither bridle nor halter nor any thing else vpon his head And euen as they which are within these houses vpon his back are armed with coats of maile with bowes launces swords and targets so likewise will he bee couered with a maile especially vpon his head and snout to which men fasten a sword of two fadomes in length thick and as broad as a mans hand wherewith this beast doth helpe himselfe in fight In all things else he is of incredible force For Lewes de Barthema in the discourses of his Indie voiages doth testifie that he did see three elephants alone draw a ship out of the sea and set it a land after the people had gotten vnder it three great wedges of wood For kneeling downe vpon the earth on the sea-shore they did with their heads cast
That of cyprus is harder and better then any other Some also because of copper make two kindes of brasse to wit naturall whereof the best hath spots of shining gold intermingled and there is reported to haue bin found in new Spaine in America a peece of it of two hundred pound waight Then is there artificial brasse which is called copper or latten and the most excellent is that which in fower pounds of brasse doth containe one pound of white lead called tinne also when the white lead is mixed to the eight part of brasse then is the copper very good but it is base beeing mixed with black lead For the vse of copper it is chiefly fit for faire instruments as ordinance cauldrons and such like wherein it is more excellent then brasse because also it doth not giue a bad tast nor smell to such meat as is boiled therein Thus haue wee summarily runne ouer that which wee thought most conuenient to bee spoken concerning mettals wee will now speake of pretious stones whereof ARAM do you begin to entreate Of precious stones and chiefely of the Diamond Chap. 95. ARAM. IF wee first say somewhat concerning the originall and matter of stones the nature and vertue of them shall bee so much the more easie for vs to comprehend Now the originall of stones as of mettals is in the earth and they bee all made of an elementarie substance or of a pure and equall matter which is gathered togither or else is runne on an heape or else hath beene purified in some sort howsoeuer In which Of the originall and substance of stones heat doth chiefly operate For that is it which boileth the matter naturallie engendred to perfect the humor whereof afterwards the minerall matter or stone doth consist Theophrastus distinguishing al that which doth so grow within the earth saith that some things participate with the water as gold and siluer and other mettals some accord with the earth as stones yea precious stones and all such earths as are in estimation because of their colours or of their sauors or of some other properties But if he would infer as it seemeth that all precious stones are terrestriall if this opinion were true then should there be no precious stone bright cleere yet almost al of them are so Wherefore we may rather say that they are not earthie but watry that is to say that they are composed of a certaine humor which retaineth more of water then of earth for it is a certaine kinde of clammy slime wherein there is more water then earth which being dried and thickned through contiunance of the same operation and by the vehemencie thereof doth at last become a stone Now that a grosse and clammy humour doth easily conuert into stone we see euident in all liuing creatures and chiefly in our selues For those stones and grauell which breed in the bladder and in the reines are ingendred of such humours as in tract of time haue beene boyled and hardned by the naturall heat of our bodie So then precious stones which are bright and transparent are not composed of earth nor yet of water onely but are ingendred of a pure and liquid humour which retaineth in it selfe more of water then of earth For in that these stones being cast into water sinke to the bottome it is manifest that they are not made of water onely for then they should swim aloft like yee and haile For the splendor and light of some and obscuritie Of the splendor and light in stones or thicknes of others we must first note that the elements operating as in all things else in the generation of stones they participate more with the water and with the earth then with the fire and with the aire And because that the earth is not transparent nor shining as it is euident that the water is cleer also it followeth that al the brightnes splendor of stones doth proceed from the water Therfore we say that al cleere transparent stones are ingendred of humours alike in cleernes light and contrariwise that they which are troubled obscure thicke do proceed from the earth to wit from a slimie blacke humour that retayneth much earth and but little water And for so much as some stones are more cleere and more shining then others that proceedeth from the diuersitie of humors whereof they haue bin engendred for some humors are more cleere and more purified then others Whereupon ensueth that some precious stones which are white haue beene generated by an humour hauing the colour of water which maketh them more cleere and more transparent then others and so of the varietie which is in the colours of all stones be they greene blew red purple yealow or of many mingled colours one must iudge the humours whereof they did proceed at first to haue beene such and that other precious stones which are not transparent proceed from troubled blacke and obscure humours for the water it selfe though it be neuer so cleere doth become blacke if it be mixed with neuer so little blacknes And such precious stones as are splendant do shine by reason of their great brightnes which maketh their light continue and abound As much must we iudge of the cause of staines spots shadowings cloudes vaines and other vices which are found in precious stones and of the difference that is in their massiuenes spungines lightnes waight and hardnes for all these things proceed from the diuersitie of the nature and of the colours of such humours as haue engendred them Of the principall stones and of their proper praises Now amongst precious stones these beare away the prise and are praised with especiall praise the white diamond for hardnes and soliditie the greene emerauld for beawty the red carbuncle called the rubie for liuely colour the skie coloured saphir for grace the yealow chrysolite for splendor the diuers coloured opall for varietie and the cleere pearle for whitenes and roundnes First then let vs speake of the diamond Of the diamond For as gold amongst mettals so the diamond amongst stones is most precious For the substance thereof is hard and for that cause the more exquisite as that is amongst mettals which is the most pliable By reason then of the hardnes and soliditie thereof the diamond beareth away the price amongst precious stones for in colour it is inferior to the emeraulde to the rubie and to the opall But that which maketh it most to bee esteemed is because that the filings and small peeces thereof are precious so that one scruple is sold for sixe crownes of gold and because that by the hardnes thereof it cutteth all other stones beeing not onely commodious in sculpture but also very necessarie Neither will it bee well cut or polished but by the onely filings thereof so hard it is For which cause many haue written that the point of a dart beeing rubbed with the pouder of a diamond it
the medicinable vertue which is in this stone For as thirst cōmeth through the biting of a certaine snake called Dipsas and as the hand is benummed by the touching of a little fish called Remora so the venemous fire of the Anthrax may bee extinguished by the long touching of the saphir but it must needes bee so big as it may couer the head of the bile Hauing already made mention of the Iacinth and of the amethyst to which there are great properties assigned I will now touch some principall points in them And first wee are to note that the iacinth is commonly of a yealow colour but the best is red yet it is not so big as the other beeing put into the fire it becommeth more obscure and redder and beeing out of the fire it shineth greatly Also this kinde of hyacinth doth differ but little from the carbuncle in estimation of price They that are of the colour of water are counted for base and of no force But Serapio hath written that the good iacinth keepeth men that beareth it out of the peril of thunder and defendeth them from the plague and prouoketh sleepe Albertus Magnus likewise saith that the iacinth doth augment riches and authoritie and that it doth greatly comfort the hart and cause much ioy Now because these things might seeme to be paradoxes to many we will here make a little discourse following the precept of the philosopher who thinketh it sufficient in hard and intricate questions if wee can well auoide and shun absurd doctrine For by this meanes many shal be induced to esteeme more then they do of precious stones and to beleeue the properties which are attributed vnto them if not as true Good reasons of the vertue of stones at least wise yet as possible I say then that the iacinth is of cold temperature for that is almost common to all precious stones and causeth them especiallie the diamond not to receiue fire very easily forsomuch as the coldnes doth greatly helpe the soliditie and subtiltie thereof which maketh that stones do resist fire Besides the iacinth is good for the breath of man either because of the likenes of substance or by cleerenes or through some other mysticall cause whereby repairing and confirming the breath and the spirit it maketh man ioyfull for sadnes is nothing else but the contraction of breath and shortnes and difficultie of the same By such reason then as some haue said that they haue experimented that if any thing doe comfort the heart it doth likewise resist the plague which doth chiefly come through feare and imbecillitie of heart as experience sheweth vs in regard of children women and fearefull people who are sooner taken with this disease then stout and hardie men the Iacinth abolishing these two things feare and faintnes of heart it may I say helpe greatly to resist the plague So also making the heart and the spirit ioyful and by that meanes more capable of good counsell it shall be the easier for man to encrease in authoritie and to augment in richesse For being defended from thunder although that the Iacinth be as we haue said of cold temper which causeth that it will not easily receiue endomagement by fire yet do not we attribute to it therefore that it will preserve a man from being hurt But we may rather say that the spirit of his heart being reioyced by the vertue of this stone may haue the grace to direct him into some place where he may be cleane out of the perill of thunder Concerning the Amethyst Of the amethyst it is also a precious stone and orientall although it be but of a low price in regard of others in it is seene the colour and grace of wine bearing a purple lustre and it is thought to hinder drunkennes if it be tyed to the nauell and to stir vp dreames Now ASER let vs heare you pursue our discourse of stones Of the Chrysolite Topaze Opall Turkesse and of the Agath Chap. 97. ASER. VVHosoeuer will neerely consider vpon that which hath beene written by the Ancients concerning the Chrysolite and Topaze Of the chrysolite shal finde that that which wee call a Chrysolite was their Topaze and contrariwise our Topaze was their Chrysolite This stone is of yellow colour not pure but greenish and is nothing inferiour to the Saphir in hardnes if it be orientall For you must note that the Germaine Chrysolite and many other pretious stones which are found vnder the North cold Septentrionall Zone are not so hard as the orientall because that there the heat is not so sufficient that it may much attenuate the humour which composeth the stone and harden it for the perfect concretion and gathering together is the cause of hardnes which is done when some verie small parts are mixed and conioyned together as commeth to passe in the generation of euerie stone Moreouer the Chrysolite is seldome found without some blacke spots wherewith it is foyled and but for this it is a verie excellent precious stone It is thought greatly to represse lust if it be carried next to ones skin Besides it is of great coldnes whereby this argument is apparant that being laide vpon the toong of one that hath a feuer it appeaseth his thirst Plinie recordeth Hist nat lib. 37. c. 8. that from an Isle called Topazos there was brought a Chrysolite to Queene Berenice mother of king Ptolemey the second which was fower cubites long and that the king of Egypt did afterwards cause a statue to be made thereof in the honor of the Queene Arsinoe his sister and wife which was placed in the gilded Temple that this Prince caused to be erected Of the topaze The Topaze is of a greene colour and softer then the Chrysolite for it is easily brought into dust with a file in lapse of time also it loseth his splendor of it selfe so that although it be verie faire De subt lib. 7. yet none desireth much to weare it Cardanus affirmeth himselfe to haue found that fifteene graines of this stone beeing drunke make a singular remedie for melancholy persons Of the opall Now speake we of the Opall which for varietie of colours is accounted amongst the most precious stones For in it the fire of the Rubie the purple of the Amethyst and the greene sea of the Emeraud shine altogether by a maruellous kinde of mixture There are some which haue a lustre so mixed with all colours that there can no more be seene in a rich tablet nor more liuely Others seeme to sparkle with violet flames changing in manner of a fire made of brimstone or of a fire kindled with oyle Plinie saith that the Greekes did call the Opall Paederos that is to say pastime for little children Hist nat lib. 17. c. 6. .9 because of the great grace and beautie which this stone hath in it For saith he first one would say that there were a greene heauen in a pure