Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	air_n	element_n	fire_n	13,062	5	7.1789	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52536	A discourse upon the nature and faculties of man in several essayes with some considerations of humane life / by Tim. Nourse ...	Nourse, Timothy, d. 1699.	1686 (1686)	Wing N1418; ESTC R16136	165,226	400

Passions as are conducing thereunto The Operations of the Understanding are infinitely more Sublime and Perfect than those of the Will not only for their Spirituality and for the Greatness and Variety of their Objects but also for the Tranquility which goes along with them The Will cannot act without great Perturbation and Conflict of Passions but the Acts of the Understanding are retir'd and without Noise though they be not without Difficulty Considering the fallacious Informations we have of things They are reduc'd to these three general Heads First Science Secondly Contemplation Thirdly Judgment The first consists in a particular Disquisition of the Nature of things The Second in a more Confus'd and Universal Survey of Nature the last in guiding the Will and Passions in the Affairs of Life CHAP. XIX Of Science SCience is of two sorts First Philosophical which consists in a Theory of the Nature of things Consider'd purely in themselves for Example of the Heavens of the Elements of the Production of Meteors of Winds Earth-quakes Plants and Minerals and in a word of whatsoever else comes within the Region of Nature A Second Branch of Science is that which is called Logical or Ratiocination being nothing but an Art of proving one thing from another by such suitable Mediums as are apt to win upon the Mind and Reason of the Hearer And first for Philosophy plain and Obvious as the Principles of Nature seem or ought to be so it is that all our Errors and Misapprehensions of things are reduc'd to this one Ground and Fundamental Error viz. our Ignorance of their first Causes Witness that great Diversity and Extravagance of Opinions touching the Original matter of all Sublunary Bodies Thales the Milesian Pindar and the Egyptian Priests would have it to be Water Anaximenes affirm'd it to be Air Parmenides and the Stoicks are for Fire Pythagoras resolv'd all things into Numbers Empedocles into the four Elements Plato into God and Matter the Peripateticks into Matter and Form and last of all Epicurus and Democritus held that the four Elements together with all the variety of mixt Bodies were deriv'd from the Fortuitous Conflux of numberless Atoms all which being of divers Figures after a long and impetuous Fermentation met at last into one Mass or Globe of Matter From this Obscurity of the first Original of things it happens that even the plainest Informations of Sense which are as it were the Foundations of all our Knowledge become very intricate and desputable upon a strict and subtile research of Reason what 's more obvious to our Senses than Quantity yet what 's more imperceptible to our Understanding than Extension or the Composition of continuance for either it is divisible into infinite Parts or into finite only if into infinite Parts then must it contain infinite Parts but for the finite Quantity of an Inch for Instance to contain infinite Parts is impossible If we say it is divisible only into finite Parts let us suppose for Example the whole Number of Minute Parts or Atoms into which a Line of an Inch may be divided to amount to one thousand Now let us enquire of the first second or third Parts and so of the rest whether they possess the same Individual Space or no and if any two of them do possess the same individual Space then can they make no Extension and consequently the second and third as also the third and fourth Parts and so the rest of them can make no Extension which destroys the Hypothesis But if any two Parts as A. and B. for instance touching one another possess a larger Space than either of them severally then 't is plain that some part of B. does not touch A. and consequently B. and so the rest may be subdivided into other minute Parts contrary to the Hypothesis viz. those by which they touch and those by which they do not touch which Subdivision may be Multiplied in infinitum since we can never resolve the Composition into that definite Number of Parts concerning which the same Difficulty will not return as at the beginning From all which these Absurdities will seem to follow first that an Inch is as long as an Ell or a Part as big as the Whole since both are Eternally divisible into infinite Parts Secondly That the Finger or Needle of a Watch which moves the breadth of a Barly Corn and a Ship which sails a League in the same space of an hour move both of them with equal Swiftness since the breadth of a Barley Corn is divisible into as may Parts as the length of a League and there being the same common Measure of an hour for both these Motions they must be equally swift for things are said to be equally swift when they measure equal Parts of Space in equal Parts of Time Upon such like Subtelties as these it was that a Philosopher undertook to prove there was no Motion Arguing thus Whatsoever moves moves either in the place in which it is or in the place in which 't is not not the the later for Motion is in the thing mov'd which cannot at the same Time be in the place in which 't is not without a Contradiction nor yet the former for Motion is a Transition from one place to another which cannot be whilst the Body remains still in the same inidvidual Circumscription of Space but the Sophister having a Bone put out of Joynt was made sensible of his Fallacy as well as of his Pain when the Surgeon told him the Bone was not out of its place for either 't was put out of the place in which it was or out of the place in which it was not not the former for nothing can be out of the place in which it is nor yet the later no more than a Man can be said to be put out of Rome where he never was Again what 's more Universally diffusive and obvious than Light yet what 's more difficult to be understood viz. whether it be something or nothing It cannot be an Accident according to the Notion of Aristotle's Philosophy For either the same Numerical Light which was in the Sun is derived to us by way of migration which this Philosophy explodes or else there are so many new Generations as there are Points of Space in that vast Tract of Aether which lies betwixt the Sun and us both which ways of Propagation are utterly inconsistent with that Swiftness of Motion by which the Light is conveigh'd to us some hundred thousand Miles in an Instant Besides the Sun Beams being either refracted or reflected from a Glass do generate Fire and therefore must challenge the Nature of a Substance for no Accident can acquire the Nature and Property of a Substance by Condensation But if we say that Light is a Substance the same Difficulty will still return concerning the imperceptible Time in which 't is propagated so many thousand Miles We shall be at a loss also to understand how the

have their Imaginations generally carried away with the Love of Musick Painting and Sculpture all which require a pregnant Fancy to Invent and much time to perfect what they do design Men who are of retir'd and serious Inclinations are less volatile and luxuriant in their Imaginations but withal they are most resolute in the prosecution of whatsoever they are addicted to They will never desist till they have brought their matters to maturity and generally all great Designs owe their Birth and Perfection to Men of this Temper The Dutch naturally are a heavy slugish People symbolizing with the Air or Water rather in which they Breath Hence it is that they are flow at Projection but what they do once attempt especially in matters which concern their Interest they are most obstinate to bring it to Perfection On the contrary the French living in a pure and subtile Air abound with more Spirits but then they are unapt to prosecute any thing which implys Difficulty and Patience Their great abundance of Heat still suggesting to them Varieties of new Expedients they presently quit their first Designs upon the apprehension of Difficulty which in Conclusion renders them very Unconstant and Wavering The Flemmings as they are betwixt them in Country and Situation so do they partake with them too in their Genius and Inclinations being both good at design and happy in the Improvement of all sorts of Manufactures There is another sort of Imagination which consists meerly in Apprehension and is found to have a wonderful Influence upon the Person that is the Subject of it We may observe some Persons that they daily fall sick and die by the force meerly of Imagination I knew a Family in which there were many Brothers all hopeful Gentlemen of which one dying of the small Pox all the rest being four or five in Number excepting one only fell sick of the same Distemper in some short space after and dyed tho they were at distance from one another and out of all reach of Contagion In order to Health Imagination is of great Force and Virtue When a Man hath a good Opinion of his Physician and of what he gives him his Heart seems to dilate it self with a kind of Joy This gives an easy Circulation to the Humours and makes them more capable to entertain the Medicine Besides the Spirits which before were drooping upon the apprehension of Safety summon up themselves and Nature doth its utmost efforts to help on the Delivery The Spirits are the Vehicles of Life and move slower or faster according as the Imagination is possest upon which they do depend Women great with Child are very subject to strange effects of Imagination It is said that the Antipathy which King James had to a naked Sword proceeded from the Fright which the Queen his Mother took when she was big with him at such time as David Rizius was pursu'd by Assassinates with naked Swords and villanously Murdered in her Presence It is strange what is reported of Apollonius Tyanaeus who being banish'd by the Emperor Domitian that Disgrace made such an Impression on him that the Tyrant seem'd present always to his Imagination In the midst of an Harangue which he made to the People of Ephesus he began to deliver himself more soft and slowly than ordinary at length making a Pause he abruptly quitted the Subject he was upon and retreating three or four paces he look'd on the Ground with an intent and menacing Countenance and uttered these Words Smite smite the Tyrant which he spoke with that Force and Agony as seeming to be present and assisting at the Act At which the Audience being amaz'd Apollonius like one recover'd out of a Trance cry'd out Courage my Friends the Tyrant is slain this Day nay rather this very instant so help me Pallas which as Philostratus the writer of his Life reports prov'd to be the same day and hour that the Emperor was Murdered Many Instances of this nature occur of the Force of Imagination in knowing Transactions done at distance I shall not here pretend to give a natural Reason for such Prodigies nevertheless this is certain that Imagination has not only had a great Ascendent over the Spirits and Actions of particular Men but even of Multitudes and Armies Alexander finding his Souldiers dismay'd at the difficulty of passing the River Granic consults with Aristander the South-sayer how he might keep up the fainting Spirits of his Army Aristander being then about to sacrifice with a certain Juyce secretly writes in the Palm of his Hand these Words with the Letters Invers'd the Gods have granted that Alexander shall be Victorious which he had no sooner done but taking the Victims Liver into his Hand the foresaid Inscription was so attracted by the Blood and Heat of the Beast's Liver that the Letters appear'd in their natural Order and Figure inscrib'd upon the Entrails which shewing to those who were about him they all cry'd out a Miracle in which Confidence the Souldiers took Courage and passing the River became Victorious Melancholy Persons are subject to strong Imaginations Some have fancied themselves to be Ghosts Birds Wolves with a thousand such Extravagancies and to speak the Truth the whole World is upon the matter govern'd by this Idol He who is actually a King and the Madman who fancies himself a King have both of them upon the matter the same Enjoyments One tho he really tasts the Fruits of Grandure yet if we examine the matter thoroughly all his Enjoyments do terminate in Fancy And if his Palat be more acute to relish the Pleasure so is it more sensible of the Bitterness and Anxiety which doth accompany that State whereas the other by fancying himself Happy is really so since he feels no want Hunger nor Cold never afflict him he complains not of Treachery and ungrateful Ministers he meets with no potent Factions at home nor Confederacies abroad to disturb his imaginary Government He fancies that he Rules without Controul he makes Laws he creates him Noble-Men he displaces Officers at his Will and Pleasure and in the strength of his Perswasion he passes away his Life merrily Singing and Applauding his own Felicity and Power thus fares it with the happy Lunatick whilst many others who would be thought to be in their right Wits and Senses are really Mad those I mean who upon every little Cross or Capricio fall into a raving Passion CHAP. XIII Of the Will and Passions AS Imagination follows the reports of Sense so the Will with its Passions follows the Bent of the Imagination The Will therefore is nothing but a Power of Election or Reprobation of things either agreeable or displeasing The Passions by which it acts are chiefly these viz. Love and Hatred Desire and Aversion Joy and Sorrow Anger and Complacency Hope and Fear c. As to the Seat of the Will as also of the Passions 't is without dispute in the Heart This appears most evidently from Blushes and