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<DATE>2007-09-04</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>AN
ESSAY
ON THE
FIRST BOOK
OF
<HI>T. L&V;CRETI&V;S CAR&V;S</HI>
DE
RERUM NATURA.</P>
<P>Interpreted and Made
ENGLISH VERSE
BY
<HI>J. EVELYN</HI> <ABBR>Esq</ABBR>;</P>
<BIBL>Ovid. Amor. lib. 1. Eleg. 15.</BIBL>
<Q>Carmina &s;ublimis tunc &s;unt peritura Lucreti,
Exitio terras c&ugrave;m dabit una dies.</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI>
Printed for <HI>Gabriel Bedle,</HI> and <HI>Thomas Collins,</HI>
and are to be &s;old at their &s;hop at the Middle-Temple-Gate
in <HI>Fleet&s;treet.</HI> 1656.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="frontispiece">
<PB REF="2">
<P><FIGURE>
<P>T. LUCRETIUS
CARVS.
DE
Rerum Natura.
Lib. i.
Interpreted
by J. C.</P>
</FIGURE></P>
<P>London Printed for G: Bedell and T. Collins at Middle Temple Gate. A 1656.</P>
<PB REF="2">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="interpreter to the reader">
<PB REF="3">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>THE
INTERPRETER
TO
Him that READS.</HEAD>
<P>_I Have here to deal with
three &s;orts of Per&s;ons; the
<HI>Learned,</HI> the <HI>Ignorant,</HI> the
<HI>Scrupulous;</HI> and &s;omething
mu&s;t be &s;aid to them all.</P>
<P>To the <HI>Intelligent,</HI> and
tho&s;e who &s;hall be apt to think, I have
levell'd too great a part of <HI>Philo&s;ophy,</HI> &s;uch
as was locked up for them onely, to whom
the Keys of her profounder my&s;teries are
due; I reply, that the five remaining
<GAP DESC="foreign">, or (as one may &s;ay) <HI>San|ctuaries
of Nature,</HI> who&s;e Clo&s;ets and Re|ce&s;&s;es
have never yet been &s;o much as vio|lated
in the lea&s;t degree, may well ju&s;tifie me
<HI>from Sacriledge;</HI> e&s;pecially, &s;ince my de|&s;ign
hath been herein no other, then to
<PB REF="4">
make men admirers of the <HI>Rites</HI> of <HI>Philo|&s;ophy,</HI>
and in love with that knowledge and
work, without which (if we dare credit the
mo&s;t Learned) &s;o &s;mall a progre&s;s can be
made in either.</P>
<P>Ad has autem utilitates, quae ex hoc poli|ti&s;simo
Scriptore capiuntur gravi&s;simae, ac|cedunt
item aliae non minores. Hic enim vi|dere
licet quanta elegantia &amp; Arte, Graeca
Epicuri, aliorum&abque; Philo&s;oph. ac Poetarum
decr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ta &amp; Sententias poeta Lat. verbis ex|pre&s;&s;a
reddiderit: adeo ut vel hic Liber ex|emplo
nobis e&s;&s;e po&s;sit, ad optimum interpre|tandi
genus comparandum. Deinde ad
Cicer. Plutarchi, Diogenis, Virgil. aliorum
Scripta commodi&ugrave;s percipienda, nimium
quantum utibile e&s;t hoc opus &amp; opportunum.
At poetae quem veri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s imitandum &s;ibi pro|ponant,
qu&agrave;m quem ip&s;e Poetarum Princeps
<HI>Maro</HI> penitus rimatus, diligenti&s;sim&egrave; ex|pre&s;sit,
ut haud &s;ciam mirarine &s;uperioris
no&s;trae&abque; aeta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> is &s;tultitiam, an mi&s;eriam de|plorare
de beam; cum plero&s;&abque; repente exi|&s;tere
videam Poetas, qui <HI>Lucretium</HI> vix un|quam
legerint; Maronis lumina, quia ab
aliis &amp; &agrave; majoribus plera&abque; &s;unt &s;umpta,
minim&egrave; intelligant, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Thus far <HI>Gifanus</HI> in his Preface <HI>ad Sam|bucum,</HI>
in pure commi&s;eration of &s;uch as
neglected this <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">uthor,</HI> without who&s;e inti|mate
acquaintance and &s;pecial cognizance,
<PB REF="4">
no man (he thought) was ever capable of
becoming either good Philo&s;opher, or tole|rable
<HI>Poet. Peter Crinitus, lib.</HI> 23. <HI>cap.</HI> 7.
<HI>de hone&s;ta di&s;ciplina,</HI> reports the judgement
which <HI>Marullus</HI> gives of the <HI>Latine Poets:</HI>
I will not ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e him at large, but &s;hew you
what he concludes, after particular recital
and cen&s;ure of the re&s;t. <HI>Itaque legendi qui|dem
&s;unt omnes</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">i maxim&egrave; pro|bandi
pro &s;uo &s;unt qui&s;que genere, Tibullus,
Horatius, Catul us &amp; in Comoedi&acirc; Terenti|us;
Virgilium ver<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> &amp;</HI> LUCRETIUM
<HI>edi&s;cendos,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Dan. Paraeum de T. Lu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">r&punc; admirato|ribus, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Which that he might the
better eternize to po&s;terity, he thus elegant|ly
expre&s;&s;eth,</P>
<L>Amor Tibullo, Mars tibi Maro debet,</L>
<L>Terentio Soccus Levis.</L>
<L>Cothurnus olim nemini, &s;atis multum</L>
<L>Horatio Satyra &amp; Celys.</L>
<L>Natura magni ver&s;ibus LUCRETII</L>
<L>Lepore mu&s;aeo illitis.</L>
<L>Epigramma cultum te&s;te Rhallo ad huc nulli,</L>
<L>Docto Catullo Syllabe.</L>
<L>Nos &s;i quis inter caeteros locat vates,</L>
<L>Onerat quam honorat veri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s.</L>
<P><PB REF="5">
And we thus interpret,</P>
<L>Love to <HI>Tibullus,</HI> Mars to <HI>Maro</HI> owes,</L>
<L>And the Light Sock to <HI>Terence</HI> bowes;</L>
<L>To none the Buskin yet; Satyr and Lyre</L>
<L>Grave <HI>Horaee</HI> do thee mo&s;t admire;</L>
<L>Nature to great <HI>LUCRETIUS</HI> numbers yields</L>
<L>W^c^h with Mu&s;aean grace he gilds:</L>
<L>Cult Epigram to none yet Rhallo &s;ays;</L>
<L><HI>Catullus</HI> claims Phalcucian Bays.</L>
<L>If any <HI>Us</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t &s;hall place,</L>
<L>He doth Us <HI>burthen</HI> more then grace.</L>
<P>Be&s;ides, when I &s;hall have a&s;&s;ured the
world how difficult an attempt he under|takes,
who makes account to pur&s;ue the
de&s;ign; I am per&s;waded men will rather
take the pains to conver&s;e the Original,
then &s;tay till the re&s;t be tran&s;lated into
Engli&s;h; which yet might peradventure be
&s;ometime performed, if the Learned Dr.
<HI>Ca&s;aubon,</HI> doubting whether it be po&s;&s;ible
for any Traduction to reach the excellency
and Elegancy of the Or<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ginal, did not pro|nounce
it far &s;afer and better not to be
meddled withal, then &s;poiled in the tran&s;la|tion;
with vvho&s;e opin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">on I &s;o concurre,
that had not this E&s;&s;ay been pre-ingaged
long before vve vvere &s;o happy as to &s;ee his
learned <HI>Enthu&s;ia&s;ms,</HI> I &s;hould chearfully
<PB REF="5">
rather have given check to this bold at|tempt
(as in obedience to his judgement,
I &s;hall to any farther) then expo&s;ed my re|putation
to the cen&s;ure of &s;o grave and di&s;|cerning
a per&s;on. But however, I mu&s;t now
bewail my temerity. I have yet been as in|du&s;trious
as I could to explain the <HI>Poets</HI>
&s;en&s;e and meaning in his own natural way;
u&s;ing very little <HI>Paraphra&s;e,</HI> where I could
po&s;&s;ibly contract him without impeachment
of his Argument, or defacing of the Orna|ment:
&s;o that if I have &s;eldom exceeded
the number of <HI>Ver&s;es,</HI> &s;ave where the <HI>Rhyme</HI>
it &s;elf obliges me &s;ometimes to multiply
<HI>Epithetes,</HI> and protract the line; I hope I
have neither made a di&s;advantageous bar|gain
for our <HI>Language,</HI> nor in the lea&s;t vio|lated
the limits of an <HI>Interpreter,</HI> which are
yet infinitely more indulgent, and give a far
greater latitude, as I could abundantly ex|emplifie.
And if <HI>Lucretius</HI> him&s;elf made it
&s;uch a difficulty to expre&s;s tho&s;e
<Q><L>&mdash;Graiorum ob&s;cura reperta,</L></Q>
in <HI>Latine Ver&s;e:</HI> &s;uppo&s;e I had now and then
(as to my be&s;t notice I have no where) wre&s;t|ed
a &s;yllable unju&s;tly, or adopted an illegiti|mate
word, I had yet been no le&s;s excu&s;able
even by the verdict and indulgence of our
Author&punc;</P>
<LG>
<L>Multa novis verbis, prae&s;ertim cum &s;it agendum</L>
<L>Propter ege&s;tatem Linguae, &amp; rerum novitatem.</L>
</LG>
<P><PB REF="6">
I have omitted no con&s;iderations which I
thought might import the Author, or im|prove
the <HI>Ver&s;ion;</HI> nor were it at all the lea&s;t
di&s;honor in &s;peculations thus nice and ab|&s;tracted,
to con&s;ult with the mo&s;t able; &s;o
that I ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s with one of our
<HI>Poets</HI> mo&s;t indu&s;trious Illu&s;trators, <HI>Si quando
me explicare &s;atis comm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d? ne&s;cirem, Viros
eruditos con&s;ulere non erubui.</HI></P>
<P>There remain &s;ome yet whom I expect
&s;hould look &s;everely on the numbers of this
piece, and carp at the cadences of the ver&s;e,
as we have been able to adorn it but &s;ince
I pre&s;ume they will be found of no other
then of that &s;econd degree of per&s;ons with
whom I have to deal, and &s;uch as have little
acquaintance with the Original, nor ever &s;o
much as once a&s;&s;ayed what it was to tamper
with <HI>Lucretius,</HI> I &s;hall be the le&s;s &s;olicitous,
e&s;pecially &s;ince our <HI>Author</HI> him&s;elf hath left
them &s;o appo&s;ite and full a character,</P>
<L>Omnia enim &s;tolidi magis admirantur amant&abque;</L>
<L>Inver&s;is quae &s;ub verbis latitantia cernunt&punc;</L>
<L>Ver&aacute;que con&s;tituuut quae bell&eacute; tangere po&s;&s;unt</L>
<L>Aures, &amp; lepido quae &s;unt fucata &s;onore.</L>
<P>For we know with <HI>Ta&s;&s;o,</HI> an extreme Admirer of
our <HI>Carus,</HI></P>
<L>&mdash;Che l&agrave; corre il mondo, ove p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">u ver&s;i</L>
<L>Di &s;ue Dolcezze il lu&s;inghier Parna&s;&s;o:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">t. 1. Stro. 3. Geru&s;. lib.</NOTE></L>
<L>E che'l vero condito, in molli ver&s;i,</L>
<L>I piu Schivi allettando h&agrave; per&s;ua&s;o.</L>
<L>Thither the vulgar run where they may meet</L>
<L><HI>Parna&s;&s;us</HI> Lure in numbers that are &s;weet,</L>
<L><PB REF="6">
And truth in gentle mea&s;ures &s;o convey'd,</L>
<L>Hath oft the mo&s;t illiterate betray'd&punc;</L>
<P>Nor will it concern <HI>Lucretius,</HI> though he be
not &s;uddenly under&s;tood of all. For if <HI>Mem|mius</HI>
him&s;elf, a per&s;on of &s;o profound a
judgement and excellent parts, needed to be
&s;o often reminded &s;eriou&s;ly to weigh and
ponder the &s;ubj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ct matter; as you will find in
many places of our <HI>Poem</HI> he is; how high|ly
requ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ite will it be, that even our mo&s;t
confident <HI>Reader</HI> diligently intend to what
is here faithfully pre&s;ented; whil&s;t in the
mean time to the re&s;t of the more un&s;ettled
&s;pirits that yet delight in books, I may &s;afe|ly
affirm what our illu&s;trious <HI>Verulam</HI> hath
&s;omewhere pronounced of the &s;tudy of the
<HI>Mathematiques&punc;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Aug. Scient. l. 2.</NOTE> they will find this <HI>work</HI> an
excellent <HI>&s;pecifique,</HI> and rare ingredient for
un&s;tayed and <HI>Bird-witted men;</HI> &s;ince that
<HI>here,</HI> as <HI>there,</HI> if the minde be not &s;eriou&s;ly
fixed, the <HI>Demon&s;tration</HI> is ever to begin.</P>
<P>But to render a perfect and lively Image
of this excellent piece, and &s;peak of its co|lours
in the Original, cannot be better ac|compli&s;hed,
then in the re&s;embling it to the
&s;urpri&s;ing artifice of &s;ome various <HI>Scene,</HI>
curious <HI>Landskip,</HI> or delicious pro&s;pect;
where &s;ometimes from the craggine&s;s of in|acce&s;&s;ible
Rocks, uneven and horrid preci|pices
(&s;uch as are to be found, re&s;pecting
tho&s;e admirable plains of <HI>Lombardy</HI>) there
<PB REF="7">
breaks and divides (as the Wandring <HI>Tra|veller</HI>
approaches) a pa&s;&s;age to his eyes
down into &s;ome goodly and luxurious val|ley;
where the trembling &s;erpenting of &s;ome
Chry&s;tal rivolet, frngied with the curtous
diaper of the &s;ofter meadows, the umbrage &amp;
harmonious warbling of the cooler groves,
the frisking and lowing of the wandring cat|tel,
the exuberant <HI>fe&s;toons</HI> of a bountiful
<HI>Autumn,</HI> the &s;miling crops of a hopeful
<HI>harve&s;t,</HI> and all the youth and pride of a
teeming and cheerful <HI>Spring,</HI> con&s;pire to
create a new <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI> and recompen&s;e him
the pains of &s;o many difficult acce&s;&s;es. For
our <HI>Poet</HI> &s;eems here to have been of coun&s;el
with <HI>Nature</HI> her&s;elf, when &s;he di&s;po&s;ed the
Principles of things (to &s;peak in the dialect
of tho&s;e times) and framed that beautiful
<HI>Machine,</HI> which we daily contemplate with
&s;o much variety and admiration.</P>
<P>In this Piece it is <HI>She</HI> &s;its triumphant,
wanting none of her ju&s;t Equipage and At|tendance;
whil&s;t our <HI>Carus</HI> hath erected this
everla&s;ting <HI>Arch</HI> to her memorie, &s;o full of
Ornament and exqui&s;ite Workman&s;hip, as
nothing of this kinde hath ever or ap|proached,
or exceeded it.</P>
<P>Where the matter he takes in hand is ca|pable
of form and lu&s;tre, he makes it even
to ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">-&s;hine the Sun it &s;elf in &s;plendor: and
as he &s;pares no co&s;t to deck and &s;et it forth;
<PB REF="7">
&s;o never had man a more rich and luxuri|ous
fancy, more keen and &s;agacious In&s;tru|ments
to &s;quare the mo&s;t &s;tubborn &amp; rude of
materials, into that &s;piring &s;oftne&s;s you will
every where finde them di&s;po&s;ed, in this his
&s;tupendious &amp; wel-built <HI>Theatre of Nature.</HI></P>
<P>I do here purpo&s;ely omit to &s;peak of the
<HI>Authors life,</HI> as re&s;erving it to adorn a more
entire Volume by whom&s;oever perfect|ed;
onely for his <HI>&s;tudies</HI> and <HI>genius,</HI> his af|fection
to the <HI>Greek Poets</HI> is per&s;picuous; as
having from them and the <HI>Garden</HI> of <HI>Epi|curus,</HI>
culled the greate&s;t part of his pro|found
knowledge&punc; for which very regard he
is ob&s;erved to have much affected <HI>Empedo|cles</HI>
(u&s;ing in &s;ome encounters even his ve|ry
expre&s;&s;ions) who before his time had (it
&s;eems) treated on the <HI>&s;ame &s;ubject,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> and par|ticular
Argument; &s;o that what <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI>
attributes to that <HI>Philo&s;opher,</HI>
<GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c. for his
being &s;o grave and <HI>Homer</HI>-like in his man|ner
of expre&s;sion; &s;o <HI>Metaphorique</HI> and
skilful in the u&s;ages of <HI>Poets,</HI> and their
In&s;titutions, <HI>hand &s;cio an in ullo alio P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">|eta
Latino invenias qu&agrave;m in &s;olo Lucr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">|tio,</HI>
is the voyce of a very learned and
judicious per&s;on. Other excellent <HI>Poets</HI>
he likewi&s;e imitated, and was &s;o fortunate in
<PB REF="8">
the e&s;teem of &s;ucceeding Ages; that it e|ven
ro&s;e to a frequent <HI>Proverb,</HI> If among&s;t
the <HI>Poets Ennius</HI> were generally reputed to
be the <HI>Grand-father,</HI> and <HI>Virgil</HI> the <HI>Son;
LU<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">RETIUS</HI> mu&s;t needs be acknowledged
for the <HI>Father</HI> as well of <HI>him,</HI> as of all that
&s;hould come after; as if the whole A&s;|&s;embly
of the <HI>Epick Latine Poets</HI> were to
be &s;umm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"> up and <HI>anacephaliz'd</HI> in this &s;e|lect
<HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">riumviri.</HI></P>
<P>To the Scrupulous now, which are the
la&s;t &s;ort of per&s;ons I have prom<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ed to treat
with, and &s;hall endeavor to &s;atisfie: They
are &s;uch as &s;eem greatly to declaim again&s;t
our <HI>Author,</HI> as altogether <HI>Irreligious</HI> and
<HI>Prophane;</HI> and therefore not fit (&s;ay they)
to be &s;o much as read or entertained a|mong&s;t
<HI>Christians.</HI> But if this be the &s;ole
and grand objection, I would likewi&s;e en|quire,
why tho&s;e nicer and peevi&s;h &s;pirits
&s;hould at all approve, or in the lea&s;t make
u&s;e of any other <HI>Heathen Writer</HI> what&s;oe|ver?
The <HI>Stoicks</HI> affirmed God (who is the
onely &s;ource and veritable Original of all
things) to be fa&s;t linked and chained to a
<HI>Series</HI> of <HI>Second Cau&s;es,</HI> obnox<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ous to the
Laws and Decrees of De&s;tiny and Nece&s;si|ty.
<HI>Plato</HI> was a <HI>Leveller,</HI> and would have
<HI>Wives</HI> and mo&s;t other things to be profane
and impropriate&punc; <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> bears us in hand,
that the World is Eternal <HI>&agrave; parte ant&egrave;,</HI> and
<PB REF="8">
<HI>p&ograve;&s;t.</HI> Infinite other are the exorbitant <HI>Chy|maera's</HI>
we encounter among&s;t the opinions
and <HI>Placits</HI> of the ancient <HI>Philo&s;ophers.</HI> In
fine, why do we read any <HI>Poet</HI> of them all,
&s;ince there is none exempt of the mo&s;t
gro&s;s and ab&s;ur'd Fictions, apparent Levi|ties,
and horrible Impieties imaginable? yet
who is it among&s;t them, that doth not
even embo&s;ome <HI>Juvenal,</HI> the mo&s;t vi|cious,
<HI>Ari&s;tophanes, Anacreon, Catullus,
Martial, Au&s;onius,</HI> and <HI>Petronius</HI> (to &s;pare
<HI>Beza, Buchanan,</HI> and others) the mo&s;t loo&s;e,
and beyond compari&s;on, abandoned, like &s;o
many pious <HI>Offices</HI> and <HI>Manuals;</HI> celebra|ting
their luxurious and disboa&s;hed &s;pirits,
who&s;e fancies breath nothing but their pro|digious
be&s;tialities, and pro&s;titute <HI>Cynaedu&s;e's</HI>
as &s;o many petty <HI>Oracles,</HI> or in&s;pired <HI>Pro|phets?</HI>
But grant them all this, and what
were yet wor&s;e (if more impious can be) <GAP DESC="foreign">,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tit. 15.</NOTE>
that there was noth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ng able to corrupt
a vertuous and hone&s;t minde, was the opi|nion
of <HI>Ari&s;tippus,</HI> as <HI>Laertius</HI> truly reports
of him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Socr. Schol. l. 3. c. 14. Ba&s;il. de legend. Ethnico|rum Scri|ptis. Aug. de doctri|n&acirc; Chri|&s;tian&aacute;.</NOTE> being con&s;trained one day to be
pre&s;ent at a <HI>Ball</HI> in his reverend purple. And
that even the be&s;t of <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> were as ca|pable
to derive from them benefits, as in|contaminate
&amp; innocent, we may ea&s;ily ima|gine
and conceiv'd; whil&s;t we finde S. <HI>Paul</HI>
that great <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> him&s;elf, citing <HI>Parmenides,</HI>
<PB REF="9">
<HI>Aratus</HI> and <HI>Menander;</HI> enough (I &s;uppo&s;e)
to ju&s;tifie how lawful it is to make u&s;e of
the <HI>good</HI> even in the mid&s;t of <HI>Evil.</HI> And
if our <HI>Poet</HI> have any one pa&s;&s;age (as where
he prevaricates on <HI>Providence,</HI> the <HI>Immor|tality
of the Soul,</HI> the &s;pontaneous coalition
of <HI>Principles,</HI> and &s;ome other &s;ublime points
of &s;peculative <HI>Theologie</HI>) which &s;eems to
concern, or be any whit obnoxious to our
<HI>Faith;</HI> he hath a thou&s;and more, where
among&s;t the re&s;t of his mo&s;t excellent <HI>Pre|cepts,</HI>
and rare di&s;cour&s;es, he per&s;wades to
a life the mo&s;t exact and <HI>Moral;</HI> and no
man, I hope, comes hither as a <HI>Spider,</HI> to
&s;well up his bag with <HI>poy&s;on</HI> onely, when
with half that pains, he may with the in|du&s;trious
<HI>Bee,</HI> &s;tore and furni&s;h his <HI>Hive</HI> with
&s;o much whole&s;ome and delicious Honey.</P>
<P>Indignum profect&ograve; ob aliqua mala tam
multa bona expungere,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ga&s;&s;end. de vita &amp; Morib. Epic. in Epi&s;t.</NOTE> ac ro&s;etum ex&s;cin|dere,
quod &s;pinas ro&s;is intextas ferat.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="encomium">
<PB N="1" REF="9">
<HEAD>ON MY
Son Evelyns Tran&s;lation
OF THE
FIRST BOOK of Lucretius.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>IF <HI>Gulilaeus</HI> with his new found gla&s;s,</L>
<L>Former Invention doth &s;o far &s;urpa&s;s,</L>
<L>By bringing di&s;tant bodies to our &s;ight,</L>
<L>And make it judge their &s;hape by neerer light,</L>
<L>How much have you oblig'd us? in who&s;e mind</L>
<L>Y'have coucht that Cataraect w^c^h made us blind,</L>
<L>And given our &s;oul an optick can de&s;crie</L>
<L>Not things alone, but where their cau&s;es lie?</L>
<L><HI>Lucretius</HI> Engli&s;hed, Natures great <HI>Code</HI></L>
<L>And <HI>Dige&s;t</HI> too, where her deep Laws &s;o &s;how'd,</L>
<L>That what we thought my&s;teriou&s;ly perplext</L>
<L>Tran&s;lated thus, both <HI>Comment</HI> is and <HI>Text;</HI></L>
<L>This poli&s;ht <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">ey opens and let's us in</L>
<L>To her Conclave, Trea&s;ure and Magazin,</L>
<L>Where &s;he maje&s;tick in bright rays appears</L>
<L>Unvail'd o'ch' Cloud of &s;eventeen hundred years.</L>
<L>That hoary mi&s;t of Ignorance is di&s;plaid</L>
<L>And brought to light what lay involv'd in &s;hade;</L>
<L>By this your Sacred Clue &s;everely led</L>
<L>Her intricat'&s;t <HI>Meanders</HI> we do tread.</L>
<L>How &s;pruce (thus trimm'd) Philo&s;ophy looks now,</L>
<L>Which was <HI>moro&s;e</HI> before in beard and brow?</L>
<L>What we abhorred then, we now embrace;</L>
<L>A Nymph is &s;eated in a Satyrs place,</L>
<L>And hath a Palace for her gloomy School;</L>
<L>That's a clear &s;tream which was a muddy pool.</L>
<L>With how much plea&s;ure then we now rehear&s;e,</L>
<L>The crabbed'&s;t part of learning in your ver&s;e,</L>
<L>And with the Mu&s;es to this reed of thine</L>
<L>We dance o're horrid clifts, we could not clime,</L>
<L>Taking that whol&s;ome pill with great de<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">ight,</L>
<L>Which, until gilded thus, did &s;o affright&punc;</L>
<PB N="2" REF="10">
<L>Pedants <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">arewel, this to our years affords</L>
<L>That whole half-age we lo&s;t in learning words:</L>
<L>Thus, in the worlds decline, the life of man</L>
<L>(Was but an Inch before) is made a Span.</L>
<L>Our infancy may now with milk and pap</L>
<L>Suck in deep Science in our Mothers lap;</L>
<L>Whil&s;t at &s;uch ea&s;e to be both learn'd and wi&s;e</L>
<L>Be but born Engli&s;h, and it doth &s;uffice.</L>
<L>The North-we&s;t-pa&s;&s;age would not prove &s;o &s;wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">,</L>
<L>Nor make abridgement like to this your gift.</L>
<L>In which to our immen&s;e content we find</L>
<L>All that the <HI>Stagyrists</HI> envy burnt, refin'd.</L>
<L>Thus to th'immortal glory of our Toung,</L>
<L>This <HI>Briti&s;h</HI> Phoenix from tho&s;e <HI>a&s;hes</HI> &s;prung:</L>
<L>The Atomes of tho&s;e volumus lo&s;t in <HI>Greece</HI></L>
<L>(Gather'd at <HI>Rome</HI>) You have made <HI>Ja&s;ons</HI> fleece,</L>
<L>Each grain whereof like the <HI>Elixar</HI> doth</L>
<L>Fruitful projection in our minds bring forth&punc;</L>
<L>Of that rare skill which by the vulgar much</L>
<L>Needs no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> be valued; nor by bulk, but touch.</L>
<L>What we &s;ince him did pure invention deem</L>
<L>Dilated memory, not wit doth &s;eem;</L>
<L>We now believe't demon&s;tratively true</L>
<L>Under the Sun, there's nothing that is new.</L>
<L>And he that would no emptine&s;s maintain</L>
<L>Belyes him&s;elf, the Vacuum's in his Brain.</L>
<L>Vain then it were to undertake to write</L>
<L>All old mi&s;takes; error is infinite.</L>
<L>'Tis thus, In&s;pir'd <HI>Lucretius,</HI> alone,</L>
<L>Is th'Oracle of all that can be knowne;</L>
<L>Steward to Fate, Creations Notary,</L>
<L>Truths Regi&s;ter, Natures Secretary.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Proceed (dear Youth) and in thy noble Ver&s;e</L>
<L>Perfect this <HI>Canon</HI> of the Univer&s;e,</L>
<L>For great example to thy &s;elf prefix</L>
<L>That Architect, which wrought from <HI>one to Six.</HI></L>
</LG>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Richard Brown,</HI>
Knight and Baronet.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="encomium">
<PB N="3" REF="10">
<HEAD>To his Worthy Friend
Ma&s;ter EVELYN,
UPON HIS
TRANSLATION
OF
LUCRETIUS:</HEAD>
<L><HI>L&V;CRETI&V;S</HI> with a Stork-like <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ate,<NOTE PLACE="marg">According to the In&s;titution of <HI>Epicurus</HI> in relation to <HI>whom</HI> the&s;e <HI>Ver&s;es</HI> were in|tended, and no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> that the <HI>Interpreter</HI> doth ju&s;tifie this irreligion of the <HI>Poet,</HI> who&s;e Argu|ments he af|terwards re|&s;utes:</NOTE></L>
<L>Born and tran&s;lated in a State,</L>
<L>Comes to proclaim in Engli&s;h Ver&s;e</L>
<L>No Monarch Rules the Univer&s;e;</L>
<L>But chance and Atomes make <HI>this All</HI></L>
<L>In Order Democratical,</L>
<L>Where Bodies freely run their cour&s;e,</L>
<L>Without de&s;ign, or Fate, or Force.</L>
<L>And this in &s;uch a &s;train he &s;ings,</L>
<L>As if his Mu&s;e with Angels wings</L>
<L>Had &s;oa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">'d beyond our utmo&s;t Sphere,</L>
<L>And other Worlds di&s;cover'd there;</L>
<L>For his immortal boundle&s;s wit</L>
<L>To nature does no bounds permit;</L>
<L>But boldly has remov'd tho&s;e bars</L>
<L>Of Heaven, and Earth, and Seas and Stars,</L>
<L>By which they were before &s;uppos'd</L>
<L>By narrow wits to be inclos'd,</L>
<L>'Till his free Mu&s;e threw down the Pale,</L>
<L>And did at once di&s;park them all&punc;</L>
<L>So va&s;t this Argument did &s;eem</L>
<L>That the wi&s;e Author did e&s;teem</L>
<PB N="4" REF="11">
<L>The Roman Language which was &s;pred</L>
<L>Ore the whole world in Triumph led,</L>
<L>A Tongue too narrow to unfold</L>
<L>The Wonders which he would have rold.</L>
<L>This &s;peaks thy Clorie, noble Friend,</L>
<L>And Briti&s;h Language do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s commend;</L>
<L>For here <HI>Lucret<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">us</HI> whole we finde,</L>
<L>His Words, his Mu&s;ick, and his mind:</L>
<L>Thy Art has to our Countrey brought</L>
<L>All that he writ, and all he thought.</L>
<L><HI>Ovid</HI> tran&s;lated, <HI>Virgil</HI> too</L>
<L>Shew'd long &s;ince what our Tongue could do;</L>
<L>Nor <HI>Lucan</HI> we, nor <HI>Horace</HI> &s;par'd,</L>
<L>Onely <HI>Lucretius</HI> was too hard.</L>
<L><HI>Lucretius,</HI> like a Fort did &s;tand</L>
<L>Untoucht, till your Victorious hand</L>
<L>Did from his head this garland bear,</L>
<L>Which now upon your own You wear:</L>
<L>A Garland made of &s;uch new Bays</L>
<L>And &s;ought in &s;uch untrodden ways,</L>
<L>As no man's Temples ere did Crown,</L>
<L>Save this great Authors and your own.</L>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Edmund Waller.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="encomium">
<PB N="5" REF="11">
<L>Non, quia gente vales quae lat&egrave; clara per Anglos</L>
<L>Fixerit hinc, illinc, dives ubique, Lares:</L>
<L>Nec tant&ugrave;m quia communes nurtitus in artes</L>
<L>Ingenii laudes, quas &s;equor, ip&s;e tenes:</L>
<L>Idcirco quacun&abque; moror, quacun&abque; morabor,</L>
<L>Ev'<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ni credam non memini&s;&s;e nefas,</L>
<L>C&ugrave;m mihi nota fides, &amp; moribus in&s;ita virtus,</L>
<L>A grato Sali<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m vate &s;onandus eras.</L>
<L>Nil mediocre potes quicquid &s;ub pectore volvis,</L>
<L>Sive &s;it ingenii, &s;eu pietatis opus.</L>
<L>Tu mihi Memmiades, reliquis <HI>Lucretius</HI> audi,</L>
<L>Magna geris de te victor, &amp; alta canis:</L>
<L>Natales Coelorum &amp; concre&s;centia Secla</L>
<L>Et motis &s;patium rebus inane paras.</L>
<L>Quae nunquam loquimur, nec adhuc bene novimus Angli</L>
<L>&V;nde datis, mirar, vocibus aucta refers</L>
<L>Hos ego non au&s;im libros tentare profanus</L>
<L>Nam metuens altum litora tuta lego.</L>
<L>Ergo age quod &s;olus potes, &amp; quod patria po&s;cit</L>
<L>(O mul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">um &amp; merit&ograve; culte, colende mihi,</L>
<L>Rure vaces tanti&s;per, &amp; hortis utere cultor</L>
<L>Ne Furnum docta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> polluat u&s;&abque; manus)</L>
<L>Fae mihi deducas ad mundi funera carmen</L>
<L>Supremum, vates quem canit, adde rogum:</L>
<L>Non ni&s;i cum coelo, terr&acirc;que, mariq<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;olutis</L>
<L>Hoc opus impleri, &s;ive &s;perire pote&s;t.</L>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Chri&s;tophorus Wa&s;i.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="6" REF="12">
<HEAD>For my Honored
FRIEND and KINSMAN
John Evelyn <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>NOBLE COZEN,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YOurs of <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1+ words"> in&s;tant, together
with a Manu&s;cript which your
mode&s;ty is plea&s;ed to entitle,
<HI>An E&s;&s;ay upon the fir&s;t Book
of</HI> Lucretius, found me out
in this remote corner; whereby I perceive
a friend (how clouded &s;oever with ab&s;ence
and mifortunes) can no more be hidden to
your kindene&s;s, then the mo&s;t ab&s;tru&s;e Au|thor
to your Apprehen&s;ion, or (by that
time you have done with him) to any mans
el&s;e: Yet ab&s;ence alone is a death, not that
it u&s;es to kill friends, but friend&s;hip. The
<HI>Spaniard</HI> calls it, <HI>putting of earth between;</HI>
&s;o both Death and Burial too, and he hath
a proverb that tells us, <HI>A muertos y &agrave; ydos
no ay Amigos;</HI> the <HI>cro&s;sing</HI> whereof is the
thing I now take &s;o kindely at your hands.
Then (to evidence that no <HI>Author</HI> what&s;o|ever
<PB N="7" REF="12">
can &s;tand in your way) I know not
where you could have made &s;o crabbed a
choice as you have done, though for in|trin&s;ick
value an incomparable one, and well
quitting your pains. On my word (Cozen)
this Piece is <HI>The taming of the Shrew.</HI>
What &s;hall I &s;ay more? Having (as skil|fully
as I could) confronted <HI>his Latine</HI> with
your <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> they appear to me <HI>Lifes</HI> both:
or rather both pictures of one life, the fea|tures
being exactly the &s;ame in each, onely
yours (as the younger) &s;o the &s;moother. It
puts me in minde of the two <HI>Amphitruo's</HI>
in <HI>Plautus,</HI> where the <HI>Tran&s;lation</HI> was
taken for the Original by her that &s;hould
be&s;t have known; which mi&s;take had pro|bably
not hapned, if the Divine Counter|feit
could not have &s;poken the Husbands
Thoughts, as well as induced his Shape.
And if that <HI>Metamorpho&s;is</HI> made a long
night; this of yours, I am &s;ure, makes the
<HI>day &s;hort.</HI> But I injure it with the name of
a <HI>Tran&s;lation,</HI> it is <HI>Lucretius</HI> him&s;elf. A
judged Ca&s;e in a certain Italian Comedy.
Thus, a <HI>Bondman</HI> of <HI>Naples</HI> is apprehend|ed
in open &s;treet: No running away now,
no denying the fact for which he is accu&s;ed.
What then? he changes his language,
facing both the Officers and his Pro&s;ecutors
down in perfect <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> (a concealed quali|ty
he had) that he is not the man they take
<PB N="8" REF="13">
him for; nay, not &s;o much as of the <HI>Nation.</HI>
In this maner fences for a good &s;pace again&s;t
them All (the Scene is not unple&s;ant.) But
do you think it &s;erved his turn in the end&punc;
No, nor would have done, though he had
for his better di&s;gui&s;e &s;hifted him&s;elf into a
Gentile habit and garb. And &s;o &s;hall we
know <HI>LUCRE<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">IUS</HI> in your Book, though
it retains neither his voyce&punc; nor yet his
lineaments; nor have you in my conceit
(however I finde it difficult to explain) &s;o
much put him into your cloathes, as out of
his own per&s;on,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Sic parvis componere pulchra &s;olebam.</L>
</LG>
<P>One thing I mu&s;t needs acquaint you with,
and it is, that this came to my hands, ju&s;t
when I had made an end of reading a
Po&s;thumous Tran&s;lation by Mr. or Dr.
<HI>Bat hur&s;t,</HI> lately printed at <HI>London</HI> (I pre|&s;ume
you have &s;een it) of <HI>Spencer's Shep|herds
Calendar</HI> into <HI>Latine;</HI> as if oppor|tunely
to prevent my idolizing that Lan|guage:
to the advantage whereof above ours,
I do not now impute that admirable work,
which (unle&s;s my Augury deceive me) will,
where its true Origine &s;hall be unknown,
pa&s;s for a <HI>Native</HI> of old <HI>Rome,</HI> and that as
far, as the utmo&s;t bounds extend of the
<HI>Commonwealth</HI> of <HI>Learning.</HI> For if the
great wonder <HI>there</HI> be, how a <HI>Poem,</HI> which
the Author made it his bu&s;ine&s;s to cloath
<PB N="9" REF="13">
in rugged <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> could be capable of &s;o
&s;moath <HI>Latine;</HI> certainly it is no le&s;s a one
here, how &s;o rugged a <HI>Latine Poem</HI> (rugged
in &s;pight of your <HI>Authors</HI> teeth, through
the &s;tubbornne&s;s of the <HI>Stuff,</HI> and poverty
of words, as him&s;elf confe&s;&s;es) can be
rendred in &s;o &s;mooth <HI>Engli&s;h.</HI> And if
Mr. <HI>Bathur&s;t</HI> by that exported commodity
do more honor to <HI>England Abroad; You,</HI>
by this <HI>imported,</HI> will more enrich it at
home, making our <HI>Income</HI> proportionable
to our <HI>Expence.</HI></P>
<P>Thus (Co&s;in) &s;ince you will make a
<HI>Countrey Fellow a Judge</HI>) I have parted
the <HI>Apple</HI> between you; although it is true,
the other Gentlemans <HI>Cau&s;e</HI> is not before
me; yet, becau&s;e his Merits are. But that
which I give you intirely to your &s;elf, is</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Tanker&s;ley</HI>
<DATE>27 <HI>Decem.</HI>
1653.</DATE></DATELINE>
Sir, 
<SIGNED>Your very affectionate Kin&s;man and humble Servant, Richard Fan&s;hawe.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="argument">
<PB N="10" REF="14">
<HEAD>The Argument.</HEAD>
<P>THe Poet invocates <HI>Venus,</HI> by
whom, as a Philo&s;opher, he under|&s;tands
the Godde&s;s <HI>Nature,</HI> or ra|ther,
Nature it &s;elf; and under
the per&s;ons of <HI>Venus</HI> and <HI>Mars,</HI>
mo&s;t ingeniou&s;ly infers his de&s;ign to &s;peak of Gene|ration
and Corruption. Then after the dedication
of his work, he intreates of the nature of Gods;
and from them falls upon the prai&s;e of <HI>Epicurus,</HI> for
his bold di&s;covery of the ab&s;urd &s;uper&s;tition of the
times; the great inconveniences whereof he il|lu&s;trates
by the cruel Sacrifice of <HI>Iphigenia.</HI> Then
having divinely celebrated the Poet <HI>Ennius,</HI> in|troduces
his opinion touching the &s;eparation of &s;ouls
from their Bodies, with divers other &s;peculations
concerning the nature of Spirits&punc; the difficulty of
which Argument cau&s;eth him to acknowledge the
in&s;ufficiency of the <HI>Latine Tongue</HI> to treat of ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">|ters
&s;o Philo&s;ophick and ab&s;tracted. Then he
proves that nothing can be created out of Nothing;
but that there are certain Principles which belong
to all kindes of things: that nothing may be totally
annihilat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d; but that from the Corruption of one
another &s;till proceedeth, and is generated. Then
he di&s;cour&s;eth of the admirable effects of the Raine
of Bodies imperceptible: of the violence of Winds, of
the cour&s;e and mon&s;trous Inundations of Waters;
of Smells, Heat, Cold, of the Voyce; of de&s;cent
of the Dew into Cloach; of tho&s;e things which di|mini&s;h
<PB N="11" REF="14">
by frequent u&s;e and handling; likewi&s;e of
Voyd, of Fi&s;hes in the Water, of Solid Bodies
which Separate them&s;elves, and how Void and Bo|dies
con&s;titute the nature of all other things: That
there is no &s;uch thing as any Third Nature. Of
Accidents, of Time, and of the other Principles
of Things. Of things which con&s;i&s;t of a &s;oft Na|ture,
as of Water and Atomes. Di&s;putes and ar|gues
again&s;t <HI>Heraclitus,</HI> who would maintain Fire
to be the &V;niver&s;al Principle. Again&s;t <HI>Empe|docles,</HI>
that affirms the &s;ame Original to re&s;ult out
of all the four Elements. Again&s;t <HI>Anaxagoras,</HI>
who confoundeth Nature by his &s;imilar parts. Then
he &s;ublimely intreats of &s;olid Bodies, and of Infi|nite;
affirming la&s;t of all, that there is no &s;uch
thing as <HI>Centre,</HI> towards which all things do tend,
and are &s;pontaneou&s;ly carried.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>T. Lucretius</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="12" REF="15">
<HEAD>T. L&V;CRETII CARI
DE
RERUM NATURA.
LIBER PRIMUS.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>Lib. I.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L><HI>_AeNeadum</HI> genetrix, hominum Div&ucirc;m&abque;
voluptas,</L>
<L>Alma Venus, coeli &s;ubter labentia
&s;igna</L>
<L>Quae mare navigerum, quae terras frugiferentis</L>
<L>Concelebras; per te quoniam genus omne animantu~</L>
<L>Concipitur, vi&s;it&abque; exortum lumina Solis;</L>
<L>Te dea, te fugiunt venti, te nubila coeli,</L>
<L>Adventum&abque; tuum; tibi &s;uavis daed<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">la tellus</L>
<L>Summittit flores; tibi rident aequora ponti</L>
<L>Placatum&abque; nites diffu&s;o lumine coelum.</L>
<L><PB N="14" REF="16">
Nam &s;imul ac &s;pecies patefacta e&s;t verna diei;</L>
<L>Et re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">erata riget genitalis a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ra Favon I,</L>
<L>Aeriae primum volucres te, DIVA, tuum&abque;</L>
<L>Significant initium percu&s;&s;ae corda tu&acirc; vi;</L>
<L>Ind&egrave; ferae pecudes per&s;ultant pabula laeta;</L>
<L>Et rapido~s tranant amnis; ita capta lepore,</L>
<L>Te &s;equitur cupid&egrave;, q&ugrave;o quam&abque; inducere pergis.</L>
<L>Denique per maria, ac montis, fluvio&s;q, rapaci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</L>
<L>F<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ondifera&s;&abque; domos a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ium, campo&s;&abque; virentis,</L>
<L>Omnibus in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">tiens blandum per pectora amore<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</L>
<L>Efficis, ut cupid&egrave; generatim &s;aecla propagent.</L>
<L>Quae quoniam rerum naturam &s;ola gubernas,</L>
<L>Nec &s;ine te quidquam dias in luminis oras</L>
<L>Exoritur&punc; neque &s;it laetum, nec amabile quidquam,</L>
<L>Te &s;ociam &s;tudio &s;cribendis ver&s;ibus e&s;&s;e,</L>
<L>Quos <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">go De Rerum Natura pangere conor</L>
<L>Memmiadae no&s;tro; quem tu DEA tempore in omni</L>
<L>Omnibus ornatum volui&s;ti excellere rebus.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve; magis aeternum da dictis diva lep&ocirc;rem</L>
<L>Effice, ut interea fera moenera militiai</L>
<L>Per maria, ac terras omnis &s;opita quie&s;cant.</L>
<L>Nam tu &s;ola potes tranquill&acirc; pace juvare</L>
<L>Mortalis: quoniam belli fera moenia Mavors</L>
<L>Armipotens regit: in gremium qui &s;aepe tuum &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"></L>
<L>Reficit aeterno devinctus volnere amoris.</L>
<L>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">que ita &s;u&s;piciens tereti cervice repo&s;ta,</L>
<L>Pa&s;cit amore avidos inhians inte dea, vi&s;us;</L>
<L>Eque tuo pendit re&s;upini &s;piritus ore.</L>
<L>Hunc tu diva, tuo recubantem corpore &s;ancto</L>
<L>Circumfu&s;a &s;uper, &s;uavis ex ore loquelas</L>
<L>Funde, petens placidam Romanis incluta pac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m:</L>
<L>Nam neque nos agere hoc patriai tempore iniquo</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;umus aequo animo: nec Memmi clara propago</L>
<L>Talibus in rebus, communi dee&s;&s;e &s;aluti.</L>
<L><PB N="16" REF="17">
Quod &s;upere&s;t, vacuas auris mihi <HI>Memmius</HI> &amp; te</L>
<L>Semotum &agrave; curis adhibe veram ad rationem,</L>
<L>Nec mea dona tibi &s;tudio di&s;p&ocirc;&s;ta fideli,</L>
<L>Intellecta pri&ugrave;s qu&agrave;m &s;int, contempta relidquas.</L>
<L>Nam tibi de &s;umma Coeli ratione, de&ucirc;mque</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;erere incipiam; &amp; rerum primordia pandam:</L>
<L>&V;nde omnis natura creet res, auctet, alat&abque;</L>
<L>Qu&oacute;ve eadem rur&s;um natura perempta re&s;olvat:</L>
<L>Quae nos materie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m, &amp; genitalia corpora rebus</L>
<L>Reddunda in ratione vo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">are; &amp; &s;emina verum</L>
<L>Adpellare &s;uemus &amp; haec eadem u&s;urpare</L>
<L>Corpora prima quod ex illis &s;unt omnia primis.</L>
<L>Omnis enim per &s;e Div&ucirc;m natura nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Immortali aevo &s;umma cum pace fruatur.</L>
<L>Semota &agrave; no&s;tris rebus, &s;ejunct&aacute;que long&egrave;.</L>
<L>Nam privata dolore omni privata periclis.</L>
<L>Ip&s;a &s;uis pollens opibus: nihil indiga no&s;tri,</L>
<L>Nec bene promeritis capitur, nec tangitur ir&acirc;.</L>
<L>Humana ante oculos foed&egrave; cum vita jaceret</L>
<L>Interris oppre&s;&s;a gravi &s;ub Religione:</L>
<L>Quae caput &agrave; coeli regionibus ostendebat,</L>
<L>Horribili &s;uper ad&s;pect<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> mortalibus in&s;tans:</L>
<L>Primum Graius homo mortalis tollere contr&agrave;</L>
<L>E&s;t oculos au&s;us, primu&s;que ob&s;i&s;tere contr&agrave;;</L>
<L>Quem nec fama De&ucirc;m nec fulmina nec minitant<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"></L>
<L>Murmure compre&s;&s;it coelum: &s;ede&ograve; magis acr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"></L>
<L>Virtutem irrit&acirc;t animi, confringere ut arta</L>
<L>Naturae primus portarum clau&s;tra cupiret.</L>
<L>Ergo Vivida vis animi pervicit, &amp; extra</L>
<L>Proce&s;&s;it long&egrave; flammantia moenia mundi:</L>
<L>Atque omne immen&s;um peragravit men<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e, anim&oacute;&abque;</L>
<L>&V;nde refert nobis Victor quid po&s;&s;it oriri</L>
<L>Quid nequeat; finita pote&s;tus deni&abque; cui&abque;</L>
<L>Quanam &s;it ratione; utque alt&egrave; terminus here&acirc;t.</L>
<L>Quars Religio pedibus &s;ubjecta vici&s;&s;im</L>
<L>Obteritur; nos exaequat victoria coelo.</L>
<L><PB N="18" REF="18">
Illud in his rebus vereor, ne forte rearis</L>
<L>Impia te rationis inire elementa, vi&aacute;m&abque;</L>
<L>Endogredi &s;celeris: quod contrae saepius olim</L>
<L>Relligio peperi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;celero&s;a, atque impia facta:</L>
<L>Aulide quo pacto Triviai virginis aram,</L>
<L>Iphiana&s;&s;ai turparunt &s;anguine foed&egrave;</L>
<L>Ductores Dana&ucirc;m delecti, prima virorum:</L>
<L>Cui &s;imul infula virgineos circumdata comptus</L>
<L>Ex utraque pari malarum parte profu&s;a e&s;t;</L>
<L>Et mae&s;tum &s;imul ante aras ad&s;tare parentem</L>
<L>Sen&s;it, &amp; hunc propter ferrum caelare mini&s;tros;</L>
<L>Ad&s;pect&uacute;que &s;uo lacrumas effundere cives;</L>
<L>Muta metu, terram genibus &s;ummi&s;&s;a petebat.</L>
<L>Nec mi&s;erae prode&s;&s;e in tali tempore quibat,</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d patrio princeps donarat nomine regem:</L>
<L>Nam &s;ublata vir&ucirc;m m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">nibus, tremebu~d&aacute;&abque; ad aras</L>
<L>Deducta e&s;t, non ut &s;ollemni more &s;acrorum</L>
<L>Perfecto, po&s;&s;et claro comitari hymenaeo;</L>
<L>Sed ca&s;ta incest&egrave; nubendi tempore in ip&s;o</L>
<L>Ho&s;tia concideret mactatu mae&s;ta parentis:</L>
<L>Exitus ut cla&s;&s;i felix, fau&s;t&uacute;&s;que daretur.</L>
<L>Tantum relligio potuit &s;uadere malorum.</L>
<L>Tutemet &agrave; nobis jam quovis tempore vatum</L>
<L>Terriloquis victus dictis de&s;ci&s;cere quaeres.</L>
<L>Quippe etenim qu&agrave;m multa tibi me fingere po&s;&s;um</L>
<L>Somnia, qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e vitae rationes vertere po&s;&s;int;</L>
<L>Fortunas que tuas omnes turbare timore?</L>
<L>Et merit&ograve;, nam &s;i certam finem e&s;&s;e viderent</L>
<L>Aerumnarum homines; aliqua ratione valerent</L>
<L>Relligionibus, atque minis ob&s;i&s;tere vatum:</L>
<L>Nunc ratio nulla e&s;t re&s;tandi, nulla facultas,</L>
<L>Aeternas quoniam poenas in morte timendum:</L>
<L>Ignoratur enim, quae &s;it natura animai:</L>
<L>Nata &s;it; an contr&agrave;, na&s;centibus in&s;inuetur:</L>
<L>Et &s;imul intereat nobi&s;cum morte dirempta;</L>
<L>An tenebras Orci vi&s;at, va&s;tasque lacunas:</L>
<L><PB N="20" REF="19">
An pecudes alias divinitus in&s;inuet &s;e;</L>
<L>Ennius ut no&s;ter cecinit, qui primus amoeno</L>
<L>Detulit ex Helicone perenni frunde coronam;</L>
<L>Per gentis Italas omnium quae clara clueret.</L>
<L>Et &s;i praeterea tamen e&s;&s;e Acheru&s;ia templa</L>
<L>Ennius aeternis exponit ver&s;ibus edens;</L>
<L>Qu&ograve; neque permanent animae, neque corpora no&s;tra;</L>
<L>Sed quaedam &s;imulacra modis pallentia miris.</L>
<L>&V;nde &s;ibi exortam &s;emper florentis Homeri</L>
<L>Commemorat &s;peciem, lacrumas &amp; fundere &s;al&s;as</L>
<L>Coepi&s;&s;e, &amp; rerum naturam expandere dictis:</L>
<L>Quapropter bene c&ugrave;m &s;uperis de rebus habenda</L>
<L>Nobis e&s;t ratio; &s;olis, lunaeque meatus</L>
<L>Qua &s;iant ratione; &amp; qua vi quaeque gerantur:</L>
<L>In terris; tum cumprimis ratione &s;agaci,</L>
<L>&V;nde anima, at&abque; animi con&s;tet natura, videndum</L>
<L>Et quae res nobis vigilantibus obvia, mentes</L>
<L>Terrificent, morbo adfectis, &s;omn&oacute;que &s;epultis:</L>
<L>Cernere uti videamur <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">os, audir&eacute;que cor&agrave;m,</L>
<L>Morte obita qnorum tellus amplectitur o&s;&s;a.</L>
<L>Nec me animus fallit Graiorum ob&s;cura reperta</L>
<L>Difficile inlu&s;trare Latinis ver&s;ibus e&s;&s;e:</L>
<L>Multa novis verbis prae&s;ertim cum &s;it agendum,</L>
<L>Propter ege&s;tatem linguae, &amp; rerum novitatem.</L>
<L>Sed tua me virtus tamen, &amp; &s;perata voluptas</L>
<L>Suavis amicitiae, quemvis efferre laborem</L>
<L>Suadet, &amp; inducit noctes vigilare &s;erenas,</L>
<L>Quaerentem dictis quibus, &amp; quo carmine demum</L>
<L>Clara tuae po&s;&s;im praepandere lumina menti;</L>
<L>Res quibus occultas penitus, convi&s;ere po&s;&s;is.</L>
<L>Hunc igitur terrorem animi, tenebr&agrave;&s;que nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Non radii &s;olis, neque lucida tela diei</L>
<L><PB N="22" REF="20">
Di&s;cutiant, &s;ed naturae &s;pecies, rati&oacute;que;</L>
<L>Principium <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">inc cujus nobis exordia &s;umet,</L>
<L>Nullam rem &egrave; nihilo gigni divinitus umquam.</L>
<L>Quippe ita formido mortalis continet omnis,</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d multa in terris fieri, coel&oacute;que tuentur:</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;rum operum cau&s;&s;as nulla ratione videre</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;unt; ac fieri divino numine rentur.</L>
<L>Quas ob res, ubi viderimus, nihil po&s;&s;e creari</L>
<L>De nihilo: Tum, qu&ograve;d &s;equimur, jam recti&ugrave;s inde</L>
<L>Perspiciemus, &amp; unde queat-res quaeque creari;</L>
<L>Et quo quaeque modo fiant opera &s;ine div&ucirc;m.</L>
<L>Nam &s;i de nihilo fierent, ex omnibus rebus</L>
<L>Omne genus na&s;ci po&s;&s;et: Nihil &s;emine egeret.</L>
<L>E mare prim&ugrave;m homines, &egrave; terr a po&s;&s;et oriri</L>
<L>Squamig erum genus, &amp; volucres, erumpere caelo</L>
<L>Armenta, atque aliae pecudes: Genus omne ferarum</L>
<L>Incerto partu culta, ac de&s;erta teneret.</L>
<L>Nec fructus iidem arboribus con&s;tare &s;olerent,</L>
<L>Sed mutarentur: ferre omnes omnia po&s;&s;ent.</L>
<L>Quippe ubi non e&s;&s;ent genitalia corpora cuique,</L>
<L>Qui po&s;&s;et mater rebus con&s;i&s;tere certa?</L>
<L>At nunc &s;eminibus quia certis quaeque creantur:</L>
<L>Inde ena&s;citur, atque oras in luminis exit.</L>
<L>Materies ubi ine&s;t cuju&s;que &amp; corpora prima.</L>
<L>Atque hac re nequeunt ex omnibus omnia gigni,</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d certis in rebus ine&s;t &s;ecreta facultas.</L>
<L>Praeterea, cur vere ro&s;am, frumenta calore,</L>
<L>Vites auctumno fundi &s;udante videmus:</L>
<L>Si non, certa &s;uo quia tempore &s;emina rerum</L>
<L>Cum confluxerunt, patefit quodcumque creatur,</L>
<L>Dum tempe&s;tates ad&s;unt; &amp; vivida tellus</L>
<L>Tut&ograve; res teneras effert in luminis oras?</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i de nihilo &s;ierent; &s;ubit&ograve; exorerentur</L>
<L>Incerto &s;patio, atque alienis partibus anni:</L>
<L><PB N="24" REF="21">
Quippe ubi nulla forent primordia, quae genitali</L>
<L>Concilio po&s;&s;ent arceri tempore iniquo.</L>
<L>Nec porr&ograve; augendis rebus, &s;patio foret u&s;us</L>
<L>Seminis ad coitum, &egrave; nihilo &s;i cre&s;cere po&s;&s;ent.</L>
<L>Nam fierent juvenes &s;ubito ex infantibus parvis:</L>
<L>E terr&aacute;que exorta repente arbu&s;ta &s;alirent.</L>
<L>Quorum nihil fieri manife&s;tum e&s;t; omnia quando</L>
<L>Paulatim cre&s;cunt, ut par e&s;t, &s;emine certo:</L>
<L>Cre&s;cend&oacute;que genus &s;ervant, ut no&s;cere po&s;&s;is</L>
<L>Quaeque &s;ua de materia grande&s;cere, al&iacute;que.</L>
<L>Huc accidet, uti &s;ine certis imbribus anni</L>
<L>Laetificos nequeat fetus &s;ummittere tellus:</L>
<L>Nec porr&ograve; &s;ecreta cibo natura animantum</L>
<L>Propagare genus po&s;&s;it, vit&aacute;mque tueri.</L>
<L>&V;t potius multis communia corpora rebus</L>
<L>Multa putes e&s;&s;e, ut verbis elementa videmus,</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m &s;ine principiis ullam rem exi&s;tere po&s;&s;e.</L>
<L>Denique cur homines tantos natura parare</L>
<L>Non potuit, pedibus qui pontum per vada po&s;&s;ent</L>
<L>Tran&s;ire, &amp; magnos manibus divellere montes,</L>
<L>Mult&aacute;que vivendo vitalia vincere &s;aecla:</L>
<L>Si non materies quia rebus reddita certa e&s;t</L>
<L>Gignundis, &egrave; qua con&s;tat quid po&s;&s;it oriri?</L>
<L>Nil igitur fieri de nihilo po&s;&s;e fatendum e&s;t:</L>
<L>Semine quando opus e&s;t rebus, quo quaeque creatae</L>
<L>Aeris in teneras po&s;&s;int proferrier auras,</L>
<L>Po&s;trem&ograve;, quoniam incultis prae&s;tare videmus</L>
<L>Culta loca, &amp; manibus meliores reddier fetus;</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e videlicet in terris primordia rerum:</L>
<L>Quae nos fecundas vertentes vomere glebas,</L>
<L>Terra&iuml;que &s;olum &s;ubigentes, cimus ad ortus.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i nulla forent; no&s;tro &s;ine quaeque labore</L>
<L>Sponte &s;ua multo fieri meliora videres:</L>
<L><PB N="26" REF="22">
Huc accedit, uti quaeque in &s;ua corpora rur&s;um</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;olvat natura, neque ad nihilum interimat res.</L>
<L>Nam &s;i quid mortale &egrave; cunctis partibus e&s;&s;et;</L>
<L>Ex oculis res quaeque repent&egrave; erepta periret:</L>
<L>Nulla vi foret u&s;us ei, quae partibus ejus</L>
<L>Di&s;cidium parere, &amp; nexus ex&s;olvere po&s;&s;et.</L>
<L>Quod nunc, aeterno quia con&s;tat &s;emine quaeque,</L>
<L>Donec vis obiit, quae res diverberet ictu,</L>
<L>Aut intus penetret per inania, di&s;&s;olv&aacute;tque;</L>
<L>Nullius exitium patitur natura videri.</L>
<L>Praeterea, quaecunque vetu&s;tate amovet aetas,</L>
<L>Si penitus perimit, con&s;umens materiem omnem,</L>
<L>&V;nde animale genus generatim in lumina vitae</L>
<L>Reducit Venus? aut reductum daedala tellus</L>
<L>&V;nde alit, atque auget, generatim pabula praebens?</L>
<L>&V;nde mare, ingenui fontes, extern&aacute;que long&egrave;</L>
<L>Flumina &s;uppeditant? unde aether &s;idera pa&s;cit?</L>
<L>Omnia enim debet, mortali corpore quae &s;unt,</L>
<L>Infinita aetas con&s;um&s;e anteacta, die&s;que.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i in eo &s;patio, anteacta aetate fuere,</L>
<L>E quibus haec rerum con&s;i&s;tit &s;umma refecta</L>
<L>Immortali &s;unt natura praedita cert&egrave;.</L>
<L>Haud igitur po&s;&s;unt ad nihilum quaeque reverti</L>
<L>Denique res omnis eadem vis, cau&s;aque volg&ograve;</L>
<L>Conficeret, ni&s;i materies aeterna teneret</L>
<L>Inter &s;e nexus, minus aut magis endopedita.</L>
<L>Tactus enim, leti &s;atis e&s;&s;et cau&s;&s;a profect&ograve;:</L>
<L>Quippe ubi nulla forent aeterno corpore: eorum</L>
<L>Contextum vis deberet di&s;&s;olvere quaeque.</L>
<L>At nunc, inter &s;e quia nexus principiorum</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;imiles con&s;tant; aeternaque materies e&s;t:</L>
<L>Incolumi remanent res corpore: dum &s;atis acris</L>
<L>Vis obeat pro textura cuju&s;que reperta:</L>
<L>Haud igitur redit ad nihilum res ulla: &s;ed omnes</L>
<L>Di&s;cidio redeunt in corpora materia&iuml;.</L>
<L><PB N="28" REF="23">
Po&s;trem&ograve; pereunt imbres, ubi eos pater aether</L>
<L>In gremium matris terra&iuml; praecipitavit:</L>
<L>At nitidae &s;urgunt fruges, ramique vire&s;cunt</L>
<L>Arboribus; cre&s;cunt ip&s;ae, fet&uacute;que gravantur.</L>
<L>Hinc alitur porr&ograve; nostrum genus, atque ferarum:</L>
<L>Hinc laetas urbes pueris florere videmus;</L>
<L>Frundifer &aacute;&s;que novis avibus canere undi&abque; &s;ilvas.</L>
<L>Hinc fe&s;&s;ae pecudes pingues per pabula laeta</L>
<L>Corpora deponunt: &amp; candens lacteus humor</L>
<L>&V;beribus manat di&s;tentis: hinc nova proles</L>
<L>Artibus infirmis teneras la&s;civa per herbas</L>
<L>Ludit, lacte mero mentis percu&s;&s;a novellas.</L>
<L>Haud igitur penitus pereunt quaecum&abque; videntur;</L>
<L>Quando aliud ex alioreficit natura; nec ullam</L>
<L>Rem gigni patitur, ni&s;i morte adjuta aliena.</L>
<L>Nunc age&s;is, quoniam docui nihil po&s;&s;e creari</L>
<L>De nihilo, neque item genita ad nihilum revocari:</L>
<L>Ne qua forte tamen coeptes diffidere dictis;</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d nequeunt oculis rerum primor dia cerni;</L>
<L>Accipe praeterea, quae corpora tute nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Confiteare e&s;&s;e in rebus, nec po&s;&s;e videri.</L>
<L>Principio venti vis verberat incita portus,</L>
<L>Ingent&iacute;&s;que ruit navis, &amp; nubila differt:</L>
<L>Interdum rapido percurrens turbine campos</L>
<L>Arboribus magnis &s;ternit, mont&iacute;&s;qne &s;upremos</L>
<L>Silvifragis vexat flabris: ita perfurit acri</L>
<L>Cum fremitu, &s;aev&iacute;tque minaci murmure pontus.</L>
<L>Sunt igitur venti nimirum corpora caeca;</L>
<L>Quae mare, quae terras, quae denique nubila coeli</L>
<L>Verrunt, ac &s;ubito vexantia turbine raptant.</L>
<L>Nec ratione fluunt alia, &s;trag&eacute;mque propagant;</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m cum mollis aquae fertur natura repente</L>
<L>Flumine abundanti, quod largis imbribus auget</L>
<L>Montibus ex altis magnus de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ur&s;us aqua&iuml;</L>
<L>Fragmina coniciens &s;ilvarum, arbu&s;t&aacute;que tota:</L>
<L><PB N="30" REF="24">
Nec validi po&s;&s;unt pontes venientis aquai</L>
<L>Vim &s;ubitam tolerare, ita magno turbidus imbr&iuml;</L>
<L>Molibus incurrit validis cum viribus amnis:</L>
<L>Dat &s;onitu magno &s;tragem, voluitqu&egrave; &s;ub undis</L>
<L>Grandia &s;axa, ruit qu&agrave; quidquid fluctibus ob&s;tat&punc;</L>
<L>Sic igitur debent venti quoque flumina ferri;</L>
<L>Quae, veluti validum flumen, c&ugrave;m procubuere:</L>
<L>Quamlibet in partem trudunt res ante, ru&uacute;ntque</L>
<L>Impetibus cr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">bris: interdum vertice torto</L>
<L>Conripiunt, rapid&iacute;que rotanti turbine portant.</L>
<L>Quare etiam atque etiam &s;unt venti corpora caeca:</L>
<L>Quandoquidem factis, ac moribus, aemula magnis</L>
<L>Amnibus inveniuntur, aperto corpore qui &s;unt.</L>
<L>Tum porr&ograve; varios rerum &s;entimus odores;</L>
<L>Nec tamen ad nares, venientes cernimus umquam:</L>
<L>Nec calidos ae&s;tus tuimur, nec frigora quimus</L>
<L>&V;&s;urpare oculis; nec voces cernere &s;uemus:</L>
<L>Quae tamen omnia corporea con&s;tare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Natura; quoniam &s;en&s;us impellere po&s;&s;unt.</L>
<L>Tangere enim &amp; tangi, ni&s;i corpus, nulla pote&s;t res</L>
<L>Denique fluctifrago &s;u&s;pen&s;ae in litore ve&s;tes</L>
<L>&V;ve&s;cunt: eaedem di&s;pan&s;ae in &s;ole &s;ere&s;cunt.</L>
<L>&V;t neque quo pacto per&s;ederit humor aqua&iuml;,</L>
<L>Vi&s;um e&s;t, nec rur&s;um, quo pacto fugerit ae&s;tu.</L>
<L>In parvas igitur partes di&s;pergitur humor;</L>
<L>Quas oculi nulla po&s;&s;unt ratione videre.</L>
<L>Quinetiam multis &s;olis redeuntibus annis</L>
<L>Anulus in digito &s;ubterten<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">atur habendo:</L>
<L>Stillicid I ca&s;us lapidem cavat: uncus aratri</L>
<L>Ferreus occult&egrave; decre&s;cit vomer in arvis:</L>
<L>Strat&aacute;que jam volgi pedibus detrita viarum</L>
<L>Saxea con&s;picimus: tum portas propter ahena</L>
<L>Signa manus dixtras ob&s;tendunt attenuari</L>
<L><PB N="32" REF="25">
Saepe &s;alutantum tactu, praet&eacute;rque meantum:</L>
<L>Haec igitur minui, cum &s;unt detrita, videmus:</L>
<L>Sed quae corpora decodant in tempore quoque,</L>
<L>Invida praeclu&s;it &s;peciem natura videndi.</L>
<L>Po&s;trem&ograve;, quaecunque dies, natur&aacute;que rebus</L>
<L>Paulatim tribuit, moderatim cre&s;cere cogens;</L>
<L>Nulla pote&s;t oculorum acies contenta tueri.</L>
<L>Nec porr&ograve; quaecunque aevo maci&eacute;que &s;ene&s;cunt:</L>
<L>Nec, mare qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e impendent ve&s;co &s;ale &s;axa pere&s;ae,</L>
<L>Quid qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">que admittant in tempore cernere po&s;&s;is.</L>
<L>Corporibus caecis igitur natura gerit res.</L>
<L>Nec tamen undique corporea &s;tipata tenentur</L>
<L>Omnia natura; uamque e&s;t in rebus inane:</L>
<L>Quod tibi cogno&s;&s;e in multis erit utile rebus;</L>
<L>Nec &s;inet errantem dubitare, &amp; quaerere &s;emper</L>
<L>De &s;umma rerum, &amp; no&s;tris diffidere dictis.</L>
<L>Quapropter locus e&s;t intactus, inane, vac&aacute;n&s;que.</L>
<L>Quod &s;i non e&s;&s;et, nulla ratione moveri</L>
<L>Res po&s;&s;ent: namque officium quod corporum ex&s;tat,</L>
<L>Officere, atque ob&s;tare, id in omni tempore ade&s;&s;et</L>
<L>Omnibus: haud igitur quidquam procedere po&s;&s;et&punc;</L>
<L>Principium qua<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">iam cedendi nulla daret res.</L>
<L>At nunc per maria, ac terras, &s;ublim&aacute;que caeli,</L>
<L>Multa modis multis varia ratione moveri</L>
<L>Cernimus ante oculos; quae, &s;i non e&s;&s;et inane,</L>
<L>Non tam &s;ollicito motis privata carerent,</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m genita omnino nulla ratione fui&s;&s;ent:</L>
<L>&V;ndique materies quoniam &s;tipata quie&s;&s;et:</L>
<L>Praeterea quamvis &s;olidae res e&s;&s;e putentur;</L>
<L>Hinc tamen e&s;&s;e licet raro cum corpore cernas:</L>
<L>In &s;axis ac &s;peluncis permanat aquarum</L>
<L>Liquidus humor, &amp; uberibus flent omnia guttis:</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;upat in corpus &s;e&s;e cibus <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">mne animantum:</L>
<L>Cre&s;cunt arbu&s;ta, &amp; fetus in tempore fundunt,</L>
<L>Quod cibus in tota u&s;que vel ab radicibus imis</L>
<L>Per truncos, ac per ramos diffunditur omnis:</L>
<L><PB N="34" REF="26">
Inter &s;aepta meant voces, &amp; clau&s;a domorum</L>
<L>Tran&s;volitant: rigidum permanat frigus ad o&s;&s;a:</L>
<L>Quod, ni&s;i inania &s;int, qu&agrave; po&s;&s;ent corpore quaeque</L>
<L>Tran&s;ire, haud ulla fieri ratione videres.</L>
<L>Denique cur alias aliis pre&s;tare videmus</L>
<L>Pondere res rebus, nihilo majore figura?</L>
<L>Nam &s;i tantumdem e&s;t in lanae glomere, quantum</L>
<L>Corporum in plumbo e&s;t; tantundem pendere par e&s;t:</L>
<L>Corporu~ officium e&s;t quonia~ premere omnia deor&s;um:</L>
<L>Contr&agrave; autem natura manet &s;ine pondere, inanis.</L>
<L>Ergo quod magnum e&s;t aeque, levi&uacute;&s;que videtur,</L>
<L>Nimirum plus e&s;&s;e &s;ibi declarat inanis.</L>
<L>At cont&agrave; gravius, plus in &s;e corporum e&s;&s;e</L>
<L>Dedicat, &amp; multo vacui minus intus habere.</L>
<L>E&s;t igitur nimirum, id quod ratione &s;agaci</L>
<L>Quaerimus, admi&s;tum rebus quod inane vocamus.</L>
<L>Illud in his rebus ne te deducere vero</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;it, quod quidem <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ngunt, praecurrere cogor</L>
<L>Cedere &s;quamigeris latices nitentibus aiunt;</L>
<L>Et liquidas aperire vias: quia p&ograve;st loca pi&s;ces</L>
<L>Linquant qu&ograve; po&s;&s;int cedentes confluere undae:</L>
<L>Sic alias quoque res inter &s;e po&s;&s;e moveri,</L>
<L>Et mutare locum, quamvis &s;int omnia plena.</L>
<L>Scilicet id fal&s;a totum ratione receptum e&s;t:</L>
<L>Nam qu&ograve; &s;quamigeri poterunt procedere tandem,</L>
<L>Ni &s;patium dederint latices? concedere porr&ograve;</L>
<L>Qu&ograve; poterunt undae, cum pi&s;ces ire nequibunt?</L>
<L>Aut igitur motu privandum e&s;t corpora quaeque:</L>
<L>Aut e&s;&s;e admi&s;tum dicendum e&s;t rebus inane;</L>
<L>&V;nde initium primum capiat res quaeque movendi.</L>
<L>Po&s;trem&ograve; duo de concur&s;u corpora lata</L>
<L>Si cita di&s;&s;iliant; nempe d&euml;r omne nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Inter corpora quod fiat, po&s;&s;idat inane:</L>
<L><PB N="36" REF="27">
Is porr&ograve;, quamvis circ&ugrave;m celerantibus auris</L>
<L>Confluat; haud poterit tamen uno tempore totum</L>
<L>Complere &s;patium: nam primum quem&abque; nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Occupet ille locum, deinde omnia po&s;&s;ideantur.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i forte aliquis, cum corpora di&s;&s;iluere,</L>
<L>Tum putat id fieri, quia &s;e conden&s;eat a&euml;r,</L>
<L>Errat; nam vacuum tunc fit, quod non fuit ant&egrave;;</L>
<L>Et repletur item, vacuum quod con&s;titit ant&egrave;.</L>
<L>Nec tali ratione pote&s;t den&s;erier a&euml;r;</L>
<L>Nec &s;i jam po&s;&s;et, &s;ine inani po&s;&s;et, opinor,</L>
<L>Se ip&s;e in &s;e trahere, &amp; partis conducere in unum.</L>
<L>Qua propter quamvis cau&s;&s;ando multa moreris,</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e in rebus inane tamen fateare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t.</L>
<L>Mult&aacute;que praetere&agrave; tibi po&s;&s;um commemorando</L>
<L>Argumenta, fidem dictis contradere no&s;tris:</L>
<L>Ver&ugrave;m animo &s;atis haec ve&s;tigia parvi &s;agaci</L>
<L>Sunt, perque po&s;&s;is cogno&s;cere cetera tute.</L>
<L>Namque canes ut montivagae per&s;aepe fera&icirc;</L>
<L>Naribus inveniunt intectas frunde quietes</L>
<L>Cum &s;emel in&s;titerunt ve&s;tigia certa via&iuml;:</L>
<L>Sic aliud ex alio per te tute ip&s;e videre</L>
<L>Talibus in rebus poteris, caec&aacute;&s;que laterbras</L>
<L>In&s;inuare omnis, &amp; verum protrahere inde.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d ni&s;i pigraris, paull&uacute;mve rece&s;&s;eris ab re;</L>
<L>Hoc tibi de plano po&s;&s;um promittere Memmi,</L>
<L>&V;&s;que adeo largos hau&s;tus de fontibus magnis</L>
<L>Lingua meo &s;uavis diti de pectore fundet;</L>
<L>Vt verear, ne tarda prius per membra &s;enectus</L>
<L>Serpat &amp; in nobis vita&icirc; clau&s;tra re&s;olvat,</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m tibi de quavis una re ver&s;ibus omnis</L>
<L>Argumentorum &s;it copia mi&s;&s;a per auris.</L>
<L>Sed nunc jam repetam coeptum pertexere dictis:</L>
<L>Omnis ut e&s;t igitur per &s;e natura, duabus</L>
<L>Con&s;i&s;tit rebus nam corpora &s;unt, &amp; inane,</L>
<L>Haec in quo &s;ita &s;unt, &amp; qu&agrave; diver&s;a moventur.</L>
<L>Corpus enim per &s;e communis dedicat e&s;&s;e</L>
<L><PB N="38" REF="28">
Sen&s;us: quo ni&s;i prima fides fundata valebi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</L>
<L>Haud erit occultis de rebus qu&ograve; referent<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s</L>
<L>Confirmare animi quidquam ratione queamus.</L>
<L>Tum porr&ograve; locus, ac &s;patium, quod inane vocamus,</L>
<L>Si nullum foret; haud u&s;quam &s;ita corpora po&s;&s;ent</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e, neque omnino quaquam diver&s;a meare:</L>
<L>Id quod jam &s;upr&agrave; tibi paullo o&s;tendimus ant&egrave;.</L>
<L>Praeterea nihil e&s;t, quod po&s;&s;is dicere ab omni</L>
<L>Corpore &s;ejunctum, &s;ecret umque e&s;&s;e ab inani,</L>
<L>Quod qua&s;i tertia &s;it numero natura reperta.</L>
<L>Nam quodcun&abque; erit, e&s;&s;e aliquid debebit id ip&s;um</L>
<L>Augmine vel grandi, vel par <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> denique, dum &s;it:</L>
<L>Cui &s;i tactus <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rit quamvis levis, exigu&uacute;&s;que;</L>
<L>Corporum augebit numerum, &s;umm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m&abque; &s;equetur:</L>
<L>Sin intactile erit, nulla de parte quod ullam</L>
<L>Rem prohibere queat per &s;e tran&s;ire meantem;</L>
<L>Scilicet hoc id erit, vacuum quod inane vocamus.</L>
<L>Praeterea per &s;e quodcunque erit, aut faciet quid,</L>
<L>Aut aliis fungi debebit agentibus ip&s;um;</L>
<L>Aut erit, ut po&s;&s;int in eo res e&s;&s;e, ger&iacute;que.</L>
<L>At facere &amp; fungi &s;ine corpore nulla pote&s;t res:</L>
<L>Nec praebere locum porr&ocirc;, ni&s;i inane, vac&aacute;n&s;que.</L>
<L>Ergo praeter inane, &amp; corpora, tertia per &s;e</L>
<L>Nulla pote&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> erum in numero natura relinqui,</L>
<L>Nec quae &s;ub &s;en&s;us cadat ullo tempore no&s;tros;</L>
<L>Nec, ratione animi quam qui&s;quam po&s;&s;it api&s;ci.</L>
<L>Nam quaecumque cluent, aut his conjuncta duabus</L>
<L>Rebus ea invenies; aut horum eventa videbis.</L>
<L>Conjunctum e&s;t id, quod nunqu&agrave;m &s;ine perniciali</L>
<L>Di&s;cidio potis e&s;t &s;ejungi, &s;&eacute;que gregari:</L>
<L>Pondus uti &s;axis, oalor ignibus, liquor aqua&iuml;,</L>
<L>Tactus corporibus cunctis intactus inani.</L>
<L>Servitium contr&agrave;, libertas; divitneque,</L>
<L>Paupertas, bellum, concordia; cetera, quorum</L>
<L>Adventis manet incolumis natura, abit&uacute;que;</L>
<L>Haec &s;oliti &s;umus, ut par e&s;t, eventa vocare.</L>
<L><PB N="40" REF="29">
Tempus item per &s;e non e&s;t; &s;ed rebus ab ip&s;is</L>
<L>Con&s;equitur &s;en&s;us, tran&s;actum quid &s;it in aevo;</L>
<L>Tum quae res in&s;tet; quid porr&ograve; deinde &s;equatur:</L>
<L>Nec per &s;e quenquam tempus &s;entire fatendum e&s;t,</L>
<L>Semotum ab rerum motu, placid&aacute;que quiete.</L>
<L>Denique Tyndaridem raeptaem, bell&oacute;que &s;ubactas</L>
<L>Trojugenas gentis cum dicunt e&s;&s;e, videndum e&s;t,</L>
<L>Ne fort&eacute; haec per &s;e cogant nos e&s;&s;e fateri,</L>
<L>Quand&ograve; &amp; &s;aecla hominum, quoru~ haec eventa fuere,</L>
<L>In revocabilis ab&s;tulerit jam praeterita aetas.</L>
<L>Namque aliud rebus, aeliud regionibus ip&s;is</L>
<L>Eventum dici poterit, quodcunque erit actum:</L>
<L>Denique materies &s;i rerum nulla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> fui&s;&s;et;</L>
<L>Nec locus ad &s;patium res in quo quaequo geruntur;</L>
<L>Numquam Tindaridis formae conflatus amore</L>
<L>Ignis Alexandri Phrygio &s;ub pectore gli&s;cens</L>
<L>Clara accendi&s;&s;et &s;aevi certamina belli.</L>
<L>Nec cl&agrave;m durateus Troianis Pergama partu</L>
<L>Inflamma&s;&s;et equus nocturno Grajugenarum,</L>
<L>Per&s;picere ut po&s;&s;is res ge&s;tas funditus omnis,</L>
<L>Non ita uti corpus per &s;e con&s;tare neque e&s;&s;e,</L>
<L>Nec ratione cluere eadem, qua con&s;tat inane:</L>
<L>Sed magis ut merito po&s;&s;is eventa vocare</L>
<L>Corporum, atque loci, res in quo quaeque gerantur.</L>
<L>Copora &s;unt porr&ograve; partim primordia rerum;</L>
<L>Partim concilio quae con&s;tant principiorum.</L>
<L>Sed quae &s;unt rerum primordia, nulla pote&s;t vis</L>
<L>Stringere; nam &s;olido vincunt ea corpore demum,</L>
<L>Et&s;i difficile e&s;&s;e videtur credere quidquam</L>
<L>In <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ebus &s;olido reperiri corpore po&s;&s;e:</L>
<L>Tran&s;it enim fulmen caeli per caepta domorum;</L>
<L>Clamor ut, ac voces: ferrum cande&s;cit in igne;</L>
<L><PB N="42" REF="30">
Di&s;&s;ili&uacute;ntque fero, ferventi &s;axa vapore:</L>
<L>Quin labefactatus rigor auri &s;olvitur ae&s;tu:</L>
<L>Tum glacies aeris flammae devicta lique&s;cit:</L>
<L>Permanat calor argentum, penetral&eacute;que frigus,</L>
<L>Quando utrumque, manu retinentes pocula rit&egrave;,</L>
<L>Sen&s;imus infu&s;o lympharum rore &s;upern&egrave;.</L>
<L>&V;&s;queade&ograve; in rebus &s;olidi nihil e&s;&s;e videtur.</L>
<L>Sed quia vera tamen ratio, natur&aacute;que rerum</L>
<L>Cogit, ades, paucis dum ver&s;ibus expediamus,</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e ea, quae &s;olido, atque aeterno corpore con&s;tent,</L>
<L>Semina quae rerum, primordi&aacute;que e&s;&s;e docemus;</L>
<L>&V;nde omnis rerum nunc con&s;tes &s;umma creata.</L>
<L>Principio quoniam duplex natura duarum</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;imiles rerum long&egrave; con&s;tare repertae e&s;t,</L>
<L>Corporum, atque loci, res in quo quaeque geruntur:</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e utramque &s;ibi per &s;e, pur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">mque nece&s;&s;e e&s;t.</L>
<L>Nam quacum&abque; vacat &s;patium, quod inane vocamus</L>
<L>Corpus e&agrave; non e&s;t qu&agrave; porr&ograve; cumque tenet &s;e</L>
<L>Corpus, e&agrave; vacuum nequaquam constat inane.</L>
<L>Sunt igitur &s;olida, ac &s;ine inani corpora prima.</L>
<L>Praetere&agrave; quoniam genit is in rebus inane est,</L>
<L>Materiam circ&ugrave;m &s;olidam con&s;tare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t:</L>
<L>Nec res ulla pote&s;t vera ratione probari</L>
<L>Corpore inane &s;uo celare, atque intus habere,</L>
<L>Si non, quod cohibet, &s;olidum con&s;tare relinquas.</L>
<L>Id ponr&ograve; nihil e&s;&s;e pote&s;t, ni&s;i materia&iuml;</L>
<L>Concilium, quod inane queat rerum cohibere.</L>
<L>Materies igitur, &s;olido quae corpore con&s;tat,</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e aeterna pote&s;t, cum cetera di&s;&s;oluantur.</L>
<L>Tum porr&ograve; &s;i nihil e&s;&s;et, quod inane vacaret;</L>
<L>Omne foret &s;olidum: ni&s;i contra corpora certa</L>
<L>E&s;&s;ent, quae loca complerent, quaecunque tenerent;</L>
<L>Omne quode&s;t &s;pacium, vaouum con&s;tare inane.</L>
<L>Alternis igitur nimirum corpus inani</L>
<L><PB N="44" REF="31">
Di&s;tinctum e&s;t; quoniam nec plenum navitur ex&s;tat:</L>
<L>Nec porr&ograve; vacuum. &s;unt ergo corpora certa,</L>
<L>Quae &s;patium pleno po&s;&s;int distinguere inane.</L>
<L>Haec neque di&s;&s;olvi plagis extrin&s;ecus icta</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;unt, nec porr&ograve; penitus penetrata retexi;</L>
<L>Nec ratione queunt alia tentata labare:</L>
<L>Id quod jam &s;upera tibi paullo o&s;tendimus ant&egrave;.</L>
<L>Nam neque conlidi &s;ine inani po&s;&s;e videtur</L>
<L>Quidquam, nec frangi, nec findi in bina &s;ecando:</L>
<L>Nec capere humorem, neque item manabile frigus,</L>
<L>Nec penetralem ignem, quibus omnia conficiuntur:</L>
<L>Et quo quaeque magis cohibet res intus inane,</L>
<L>Tam magis his rebus penitus tentata laba&s;cit.</L>
<L>Ergo &s;i &s;olida, ac &s;ine inani corpora prima</L>
<L>Sunt, ita uti docui, &s;int haec aeterna, nece&s;&s;e e&s;t.</L>
<L>Praeterea, ni&s;i materies aeterna fui&s;&s;et,</L>
<L>Ante hac ac nihilum penitus res quaeque redi&s;&s;ent:</L>
<L>De nihilo quoque nata forent, quaecumque videmus.</L>
<L>At quoniam &s;upr&agrave; docui nihil po&s;&s;e creari</L>
<L>De nihilo; neque quod genitum e&s;t, ad nihil revocari:</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e immortali primordia corpore debent,</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;olvi qu&ograve; quaeque &s;upremo tempore po&s;&s;int,</L>
<L>Materies ut &s;uppeditet rebus reparandis.</L>
<L>Sunt igitur &s;olida primordia &s;implicitate;</L>
<L>Nec ratione queunt alia &s;ervata per aevum,</L>
<L>Ex infinito jam tempore res reparare.</L>
<L>Denique &s;i nullam finem natura para&s;&s;et</L>
<L>Frangendis rebus; jam corpora materia&iuml;</L>
<L>&V;&s;que redacta forent, aevo frangente priore,</L>
<L>&V;t nihil ex illis &agrave; certo tempore po&s;&s;et</L>
<L>Conceptum, &s;ummum aetatis pervadere finem.</L>
<L>Nam quidvis citius di&s;&s;olvi po&s;&s;e videmus,</L>
<L>Qn&agrave;m rur&s;us refici: quapropter, longa diei</L>
<L>Infinitae aetus anteacti temporis omnis</L>
<L>Quod fregi&s;&s;et adhuc di&s;turbans, di&s;&s;olv&eacute;n&s;que,</L>
<L><PB N="46" REF="32">
Numquam reliq&uuml;o reparari tempore po&s;&s;et.</L>
<L>Ac nunc nimirum frangendi reddita finis</L>
<L>Certa manet, quoniam reficirem quamque videmus,</L>
<L>Et finita &s;imul generatim tempora rebus</L>
<L>Stare, quibus po&s;&s;int aevi contingere florem.</L>
<L>H&ocirc;c accedit, uti, &s;olidi&s;&s;ima materia&iuml;</L>
<L>Corpora quom con&s;tant, po&s;&s;int tamen omnia reddi</L>
<L>Mollia, quae fiant a&euml;r, aqua, terra, vapores,</L>
<L>Quo pacto fiant, &amp; qua vi cumque gerantur:</L>
<L>Admi&s;tum quoniam &s;imul e&s;t in rebus inane.</L>
<L>At contr&agrave; &s;i mollia &s;int primordia rerum&punc;</L>
<L>&V;nde queant vallidi &s;ilices, ferrumque creari,</L>
<L>Non poterit ratio reddi: nam funditus omnis</L>
<L>Principio fundamenti natura carebit:</L>
<L>Sunt igitur &s;olida pollentia &s;implicitate;</L>
<L>Quorum conden&s;o magis omnia conciliatu</L>
<L>Artari po&s;&s;unt, valid&aacute;&s;que o&s;tendere vires.</L>
<L>Denique jam quoniam generatim reddita finis</L>
<L>Cre&s;cendi rebus con&s;tat, vit&aacute;mque tuendi:</L>
<L>Et quid quaeque queant per foedera natura&iuml;,</L>
<L>Quid porr&ograve; nequeant, &s;ancitu~ quandoquide~ ex&s;tat:</L>
<L>Nec commutatur quidquam, quando omnia con&s;tat;</L>
<L>&V;&s;queade&ograve;, variae volucres ut in ordine cunctae</L>
<L>O&s;tendunt maculas generales corpori ine&s;&s;e:</L>
<L>Immutabile materiae quoque corpus habere</L>
<L>Debent nimirum nam &s;i primordia rerum</L>
<L>Commutari aliqua po&s;&s;ent ratione revicta:</L>
<L>Incertum quoque jam con&s;tet, quid po&s;&s;it oriri,</L>
<L>Quid nequeat; finita pote&s;tas denique cuique</L>
<L>Qua nam &s;it ratione, utque alt&egrave; terminus hereat;</L>
<L>Nec toties po&s;&s;ent, generatim &s;aecla referre</L>
<L>Naturam, motus, victum, mor&eacute;&s;que parentum.</L>
<L>Tum porr&ograve;, quoniam extremum quoju&s;que cacumen</L>
<L>Corporis e&s;t aliquod, no&s;tri quod cernere &s;en&s;us</L>
<L>Jam nequeant, id nimirum &s;ine partibus ex&s;tat</L>
<L><PB N="48" REF="33">
Et minima con&s;tat natura: nec fuit umquam</L>
<L>Per &s;e &s;ecretum, neque po&s;t hac e&s;&s;e valebit;</L>
<L>Alterius quoniam e&s;t ip&s;um pars: prim&aacute;que &amp; ima,</L>
<L>Inde aliae atque al&iuml;ae &s;imiles ex ordine partes,</L>
<L>Agmine conden&s;o naturam corporis explent.</L>
<L>Quae quoniam per &s;e nequeunt con&s;tare; nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Herere, unde queant nulla ratione revelli.</L>
<L>Sunt igitur &s;olida primordia &s;implicitate:</L>
<L>Quae minimis &s;tipata coherent partibus art&egrave;,</L>
<L>Non ex ullorum conventu conciliata,</L>
<L>Sed magis aeterna pollentia &s;implicitate:</L>
<L>&V;nde neque avelli quidquam, neque diminui jam</L>
<L>Concedit natura, re&s;ervans &s;emina rebus.</L>
<L>Praeterea ni&s;i erit minimum; parvi&s;&s;uma quaeque</L>
<L>Corpora con&s;tabunt ex partibus infinitis.</L>
<L>Quippe ubi dimidiae partis pars &s;emper habebit</L>
<L>Dimidiam partem, nec res perfiniet ulla;</L>
<L>Ergo rerum inter &s;ummam minim&aacute;m&abque; quid e&s;cit?</L>
<L>Non erit, ut di&s;tent. nam quamvis funditus omnis</L>
<L>Summa &s;it infinita; tamen, parvi&s;&s;uma quae &s;unt,</L>
<L>Ex infinitis con&s;tabunt partibus aequ&egrave;.</L>
<L>Quoi quoniam ratio reclamat vera, neg&aacute;tque</L>
<L>Credere po&s;&s;e animum, victus fateare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e ea, quae nullis jam praedita partibus exstent,</L>
<L>Et minima con&s;tet natura: quae quoniam &s;unt;</L>
<L>Illa quoque e&s;&s;e tibi &s;olida, atque aeterna fatendum,</L>
<L>Denique ni minimas in partis cuncta re&s;olvi</L>
<L>Cogere con&s;ue&s;&s;et rerum natura creatrix;</L>
<L>Jam nihil ex illis eadem reparare valeret:</L>
<L>Propterea, quia quae multis &s;unt partibus aucta,</L>
<L>Non po&s;&s;unt ea; quae debet genitalis habere</L>
<L>Materies, varios connexus, pondera, plagas,</L>
<L><PB N="50" REF="34">
Concur&s;us, motus; per quae res quaeque geruntur.</L>
<L>Porr&ograve; &s;i nulla est frangendis reddita finis</L>
<L>Corporibus, tamen ex aeterno tempore quaedam</L>
<L>Nunc etiam &s;uperare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t corpora rebus;</L>
<L>Quae nondum clueant ull<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter"> tentata periclo:</L>
<L>At quoniam fragili natura praedita con&s;tant;</L>
<L>Di&s;crepat, aeternum tempus potui&s;&s;e manere</L>
<L>Innumerabilibus plagis vexata per aevum.</L>
<L>Quapropter, qui materiem rerum e&s;&s;e putarunt</L>
<L>Ignam, atque ex igni &s;ummum con&s;i&s;tere &s;olo:</L>
<L>Magnopere &agrave; vera lap&s;i ratione videntur:</L>
<L>Heraclitus init quorum dux proelia primus,</L>
<L>Clarus ob ob&s;c&ugrave;ram linguam magis inter inanes,</L>
<L>Quamde gravis inter Graios, qui vera requirunt.</L>
<L>Omnia enim St<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">lidi magis admirantur, am&aacute;ntque,</L>
<L>Inver&s;is quae &s;ub verbis latitantia cernunt;</L>
<L>Ver&aacute;que con&s;tituunt, quae bell&egrave; tangere po&s;&s;unt</L>
<L>Aures, &amp; lepido quae &s;unt fucata &s;onore.</L>
<L>Nam cur tam variae res po&s;&s;ent e&s;&s;e, requiro,</L>
<L>Ex vero &s;i &s;unt igni, puroque creatae.</L>
<L>Nihil prode&s;&s;et enim calidum den&s;erier ignem.</L>
<L>Nec rarefieri, &s;i partis ignis eandem</L>
<L>Naturam, quam totus habet &s;uper ignis, haberent.</L>
<L>Acrior ardor enim conductis partibus e&s;&s;et;</L>
<L>Languidior porr&ograve; di&s;jectis, d&iacute;&s;que &s;upatis.</L>
<L>Amplius hoc fieri nihil e&s;t, quod po&s;&s;e rearis</L>
<L>Talibus in cau&s;&s;is: nedum variantia rerum</L>
<L>Tanta queat den&s;is, rar&iacute;&s;que ex ignibus e&s;&s;e.</L>
<L>Atque hi &s;i faciant admi&s;tum rebus inane,</L>
<L>Den&s;eri poterunt ignes, rar&iacute;que relinqui:</L>
<L>Sed quia multa &s;ibi cernunt contraria e&s;&s;e:</L>
<L>Et fugitant in rebus inane relinquere purum;</L>
<L>Ardua dum metuunt, amittunt vera via&iuml;.</L>
<L><PB N="52" REF="35">
Nec rur&s;um cernunt exempto rebus <HI>inani</HI></L>
<L>Omnia den&s;eri, fier&iacute;que ex omnibus unum</L>
<L>Corpus nihil ab &s;e quod po&s;&s;it mittere raptim;</L>
<L>Ae&s;tifer ignis ut&igrave; lumen jacit, atque vaporem:</L>
<L>&V;t videas non &egrave; &s;tipatis partibus e&s;&s;e.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i forte ull&acirc; credunt ratione pote&s;&s;e</L>
<L>Ignis in coetu &s;tingui, mutar&eacute;que corpus;</L>
<L>Scilicet ex ulla facere id &s;i parte reporcent,</L>
<L>Occidet ad nihilum nimirum funditus ardor</L>
<L>Omnis; &amp; ex nihilo fient quaecumque creantur.</L>
<L>Nam quodcumque &s;uis mutatum finibus exit,</L>
<L>Continu&ograve; hoc mors e&s;t illius, quod fuit ant&egrave;.</L>
<L>Proinde aliquid &s;uperare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t incolume ollis,</L>
<L>Ne tibi res redeant ad nihilum funditus omnes;</L>
<L>De nihil&oacute;que renata vire&s;cat copia rerum.</L>
<L>Nunc igitur, quoniam certi&s;&s;ima corpora quaedam</L>
<L>Sunt, quae con&s;ervant naturam &s;emper eandem;</L>
<L>Quorum abitu aut aditu, mutat&oacute;&abque; ordine, mutant</L>
<L>Naturam res, &amp; convertunt corpora &s;e&s;e:</L>
<L>Scire licet non e&s;&s;e haec ignea corpora rerum.</L>
<L>Nihil referret enim quaedam decedere, abire,</L>
<L>Atque alia attribui mutar&iacute;que ordine quaedam,</L>
<L>Si tamen ardoris naturam cuncta tenerent:</L>
<L>Ignis enim foret omnimodis quodcumque crearet.</L>
<L>Ver&ugrave;m, ut opinor, ita e&s;t: &s;unt quaedam corpora quoru~</L>
<L>Concur&s;us, motus, ordo po&s;itura, figurae</L>
<L>Efficiunt ignis; mutat&oacute;que ordine mutant</L>
<L>Naturam, neque &s;unt igni &s;imulata; neque ullae</L>
<L>Praeterea reii, quae corpora mittere po&s;&s;it</L>
<L>Sen&s;ibus; &amp; no&s;tros adjectu tangere tactus.</L>
<L>Dicere porr&ograve; ignem res omnis e&s;&s;e, neque ullam</L>
<L>Rem veram in numero rerum con&s;tare, ni&s;i ignem,</L>
<L>Quod facit hic idem; perdelirum e&s;&s;e videtur.</L>
<L>Nam contra &s;en&s;us ab &s;en&s;ibus ip&s;e repugnat:</L>
<L><PB N="54" REF="36">
Et labefactat eos, unde omnia credita pendent:</L>
<L>&V;nde hic cognitus e&s;t ip&s;i, quem nominat ignem.</L>
<L>Credit enim &s;en&s;us ignem cogno&s;cere ver&egrave;:</L>
<L>Cete<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">a non credit, nihilo quae clara minus &s;unt:</L>
<L>Quod mihi c&ugrave;m vanum, t&ugrave;m delirum e&s;&s;e videtur.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve; referemus enim? quid nobis certius ip&s;is</L>
<L>Sen&s;imus e&s;&s;e pote&s;t, quo vera, ac fal&s;a notemus?</L>
<L>Praeterea quare qui&s;quam magis omnia tollat,</L>
<L>Et velit ardoris naturam linquere &s;olam;</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m neget e&s;&s;e ignis, &s;ummam tamen e&s;&s;e relin|quat?</L>
<L>Aequa videtur enim dementia dicere utrumque.</L>
<L>Quapropter qui materiem rernm e&s;&s;e putarunt</L>
<L>Ignem; atque ex igni &s;ummam con&s;i&s;tere po&s;&s;e.</L>
<L>Et qui principium gignundis a&euml;ra rebus</L>
<L>Con&s;titu&ecirc;re: aut hum<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rem quicumque putarunt</L>
<L>Fingere res ip&s;um per &s;e: terr&aacute;mve creare</L>
<L>Omnia &amp; in rerum naturas vertier omnis;</L>
<L>Magnopere &agrave; vero, long&eacute;que erra&s;&s;e videntur.</L>
<L>Adde etiam, qui conduplicant primordia rerum,</L>
<L>A&euml;ra jungentes igni terr&aacute;mque liquori:</L>
<L>Et qui quattuor ex rebus po&s;&s;e omnia rentur,</L>
<L>Ex igni, terra, atque anima procre&s;cere, &amp; imbri:</L>
<L>Quorum Agrigentinus comprimis Empedocles e&s;t;</L>
<L>In&s;ula quem triquetris terrarum ge&s;&s;it in oris:</L>
<L>Quam fluitans circ&ugrave;m magnis amfractibus aequor</L>
<L>Ionium, glaucis ad&s;pergit littus ab undis:</L>
<L>Angu&s;t&oacute;que fretu rapidum mare dividit undis:</L>
<L>Italiae terra&iuml; oras &agrave; finibus ejus.</L>
<L>Hic e&s;t va&s;ta Charybdis; &amp; hic Aetnaea minantur</L>
<L>Murmura flammarum rur&s;um &s;e conligere iras:</L>
<L>Faucibus eruptos iterum ut vis evomat ignis:</L>
<L>Ad caelumque ferant flamma&iuml; folgura rur&s;um.</L>
<L>Quae cum magna modis multis miranda videtur</L>
<L>Gentibus humanis regio, vi&s;end&aacute;que fertur,</L>
<L>Rebus opima bonis, mult&acirc; munita vir&ucirc;m vi:</L>
<L>Nihil tamen hoc habui&s;&s;e viro praeclarius in&s;e,</L>
<L><PB N="56" REF="37">
Nec &s;anctum magis, &amp; mirum, clar&uacute;m&abque; videtur</L>
<L>Carmina quin etiam divini pectoris ejus</L>
<L>Vociferantur, &amp; exponunt praeclara reperta:</L>
<L>&V;t vix human&acirc; videatur &s;tirpe creatus.</L>
<L>Hic tamen, &amp; &s;upr&agrave; quos diximus, inferiores</L>
<L>Partibus egregi&egrave; multis, mult&oacute;que minores,</L>
<L>Quamquam multa bene, ac divinitus invenientes</L>
<L>Ex adyto tanquam cordis re&s;pon&s;a ded&ecirc;re</L>
<L>Sancti&ugrave;s, ut multo certa ratione magis, qu&agrave;m,</L>
<L>Pythia quae tripide ex Phoebi, laur&ograve;que profatur;</L>
<L>Principiis tamen in rerum fecere ruinas;</L>
<L>Et graviter magni magno cecidere ibi ca&s;u:</L>
<L>Prim&ugrave;m qu&ograve;d motus exempto rebus <HI>inani</HI></L>
<L>Con&s;tituunt; &amp; res mollis rar&aacute;&s;que relinquunt.</L>
<L>A&euml;ra, &s;olem, ignem, terras, animalia, fruges;</L>
<L>Nec tamen admi&s;cent in eorum corpus inane:</L>
<L>Deinde qu&ograve;d omnino finem non e&s;&s;e &s;ecandis</L>
<L>Corporibus faciunt, neque pau&s;am &s;tare fragori;</L>
<L>Nec pror&s;um in rebus minimum con&s;i&s;tere quidqua~:</L>
<L>Cum videamus id extremum cuju&s;que cacumen</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e, quod ad &s;en&s;us no&s;tros minimum e&s;&s;e videtur.</L>
<L>Conicere ut po&s;&s;is ex hoc, q&ugrave;od cernere non quis,</L>
<L>Extremum quod habent, minimum con&s;i&s;tere rebus:</L>
<L>Huc accedit item, quoniam primordia rerum</L>
<L>Mollia con&s;tituunt, quae nos nativa videmus</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e, &amp; mortali cum corpore funditus. atqui</L>
<L>Deb&eacute;at ad nihilum jam rerum &s;umma reverti;</L>
<L>De nihil&oacute;que renata vige&s;cere copia rerum.</L>
<L>Quorum utrum&abque; quid &agrave; vero, jam, di&s;tet, habebas.</L>
<L>Deinde inimica modis multis &s;unt, atque venena</L>
<L>Ip&s;a &s;ibi inter &s;e. quare aut congre&s;&s;a peribunt;</L>
<L>Aut ita diffugient, ut tempe&s;tate coorta</L>
<L>Fulmina diffugere, atque imbres, vent&oacute;&s;&abque; videmus</L>
<L><PB N="58" REF="38">
Denique quattuor ex rebus &s;i cuncta creantur,</L>
<L>Atque in eas rur&s;um res omnia di&s;&s;ol&uuml;untur:</L>
<L>Qu&icirc; magis illa queunt rerum primordia dici,</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m contr&agrave; res illorum, retr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">que putari?</L>
<L>Alternis gignuntur enim mut&aacute;ntque colorem,</L>
<L>Et totam inter &s;e naturam tempore ab omni.</L>
<L>Sin ita forte putas, ignis, terraeque co&iuml;re</L>
<L>Corpus, &amp; a&euml;rias auras, ror&eacute;mque liquorum,</L>
<L>Nihil in concilio naturam ut mutet eorum:</L>
<L>Nulla tibi ex illis poterit res e&s;&s;e creata;</L>
<L>Non animans; non exanimo cum corpore, ut arbos.</L>
<L>Quippe &s;uam quidque in coetu variantis acervi</L>
<L>Naturam o&s;tendet: mi&s;t&uacute;&s;que videbitur a&euml;r</L>
<L>Cum terra &s;imul, atque ardor cum rore manere.</L>
<L>At primordia gignundis in rebus oportet</L>
<L>Naturam clamde&s;tinam, caec&aacute;mque adhibere:</L>
<L>Emineat ne quid, quod contr&agrave; pugnet, &amp; ob&s;tet,</L>
<L>Quo minus e&s;t queat propri&egrave; quodcumque creatur.</L>
<L>Quin etiam repetunt &agrave; coelo, atque ignibus ejus:</L>
<L>Et primum faciunt ignem &s;e vertere in auras</L>
<L>A&euml;ris; hinc imbrem gigni, terr&aacute;mque creari</L>
<L>Ex imbri, retr&oacute;que &agrave; terra cuncta reverti;</L>
<L>Humorem prim&ugrave;m, po&s;t a&euml;ra, deinde calorem:</L>
<L>Nec ce&s;&s;are haec inter &s;e mutare, meare</L>
<L>De caelo ad terram, de terra ad &s;idera mundi:</L>
<L>Quod facere haud ullo debent primordia pacto.</L>
<L>Immutabile enim quiddam &s;uperare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t;</L>
<L>Ne res ad nihilum redigantur funditus omnes.</L>
<L>Nam quodcumque &s;uis mutatum finibus exit,</L>
<L>Continu&ograve; hoc mors est illius, qu&ograve;d fuit ant&egrave;.</L>
<L>Quapropter quoniam, quae paullo diximus ant&egrave;,</L>
<L>In commutatum veniunt; con&s;tare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Ex aliis ea, quae nequeant convertier umquam:</L>
<L>Ne tibi res redeant ad nihilum funditus omnes:</L>
<L>Quin potius tali natura praedita quaedam</L>
<L>Corpora con&s;tituas, ignem &s;i &s;orte crearint,</L>
<L><PB N="60" REF="39">
Po&s;&s;e eadem demptis paucis pauc&iacute;&s;que tributis,</L>
<L>Ordine mutato, &amp; motu, facere a&euml;ris auras:</L>
<L>Sic alias aliis rebus mutarier omnis.</L>
<L>Et manife&s;ta pal&agrave;m res indicat, inquis, in auras</L>
<L>A&euml;ris &egrave; terra res omnis cre&s;cere al&iacute;que:</L>
<L>Et ni&s;i tempestas indulget tempore fau&s;to</L>
<L>Imbribus, &amp; tabe nimborum arbusta vacillant:</L>
<L>S&oacute;lque &s;ua pro parte fovet, tribu&iacute;tque calorem:</L>
<L>Cre&s;cere ne po&s;&s;int fruges, arbu&s;ta, animantes:</L>
<L>Scilicet &amp; ni&s;i nos cibus aridus, &amp; tener humor</L>
<L>Adjuvat; ami&s;&s;o jam corpore, vita quoque omnis</L>
<L>Omnibus &egrave; nervis, atque o&s;&s;ibus ex&s;ol&uuml;atur.</L>
<L>Adjutamur enim dubio procul, atque alimur nos</L>
<L>Certis ab rebus; certis aliae atque aliae res.</L>
<L>Nimirum quia multa modis communia multis</L>
<L>Multarum rerum in rebus primordia mi&s;ta</L>
<L>Sunt, ide&ograve; variis variae res rebus aluntur.</L>
<L>Atque eadem magni refert primordia &s;aepe,</L>
<L>Cum quibus, &amp; quali po&s;itura contineantur:</L>
<L>Et quos inter &s;e dent motus, accipi&aacute;ntque.</L>
<L>Namque eadem coelum, mare, terras, flumina, &s;olem</L>
<L>Con&s;tituunt: eadem fruges, arbu&s;ta, animantis.</L>
<L>Ver&ugrave;m aliis, ali&oacute;que modo commi&s;ta moventur.</L>
<L>Quin etiam pa&s;&s;im no&s;tris in ver&s;ibus ip&s;is</L>
<L>Multa elementa vides multis communia verbis:</L>
<L>C&ugrave;m tamen inter &s;e vor&s;us, ac verba nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Confiteare &amp; re, &amp; &s;onitu di&s;tare &s;onanti.</L>
<L>Tantum elementa queunt permutato ordine &s;olo.</L>
<L>At rerum quae &s;unt primordia, plura adhibere</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;unt unde queant variae res quaeque creari.</L>
<L>Nunc &amp; Anaxagorae &s;crutemur homoeomerian,</L>
<L>Quam Graeci memorant, nec no&s;tra dicere lingua</L>
<L>Concedit nobis patrii &s;ermonis ege&s;tas.</L>
<L><PB N="62" REF="40">
Sed tamen ip&s;am rem facile e&s;t exponere verbis,</L>
<L>Principium rerum quam dicit homoeomerian:</L>
<L>O&s;&s;a videlicet &egrave; pauxillis, atque minutis</L>
<L>O&s;&s;ibus, &s;ic &amp; de pauxillis, atque minutis</L>
<L>Vi&s;ceribus vi&s;cus gigni, &s;angu&eacute;nque creari,</L>
<L>Sanguinis inter &s;e multis co&euml;untibus guttis:</L>
<L>Ex aur&iacute;que putat micis con&s;i&s;tere po&s;&s;e</L>
<L>Aurum; &amp; de terris terram concre&s;cere parvis;</L>
<L>Ignibus ex ignem; humorem, ex humoribus e&s;&s;e:</L>
<L>Cetera con&s;imili fingit ratione put&aacute;tque.</L>
<L>Nec tamen e&s;&s;e ulla parte idem in rebus inane</L>
<L>Concedit; neque corporibus finem e&s;&s;e &s;ecandis.</L>
<L>Quare in utraque mihi pariter ratio ne videtur</L>
<L>Errare, atque illi, &s;upr&agrave; quos diximus ant&egrave;.</L>
<L>Adde qu&ograve;d imbecilla nimis primordia fingit:</L>
<L>Si primordia &s;unt, &s;imili quae praedita con&s;tant</L>
<L>Natura, atque ip&s;ae res &s;unt; aequ&eacute;que laborant</L>
<L>Et pereunt: neque ab initio res ulla refrenat.</L>
<L>Nam quid in oppre&s;&s;u valido durabit eorum,</L>
<L>&V;t mortem effugiat, leti &s;ub dentibus ip&s;is?</L>
<L>Ignis, an humor? an aura? quid horu~? &s;angu&iacute;&s;ne, &aacute;n ne <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s?</L>
<L>Nihil, ut opinor: ubi ex aequo res funditus omnis</L>
<L>Tam mortalis erit, qu&agrave;m quae manife&s;ta videmus</L>
<L>Ex oculis no&s;tris aliqua vi victa perire.</L>
<L>At neque recidere ad nihilum res po&s;&s;e, neque autem</L>
<L>Cre&s;cere de nihilo, te&s;tor res ant&egrave; probatas.</L>
<L>Praeterea quoniam cibus auget corpus, al&iacute;tque;</L>
<L>Scire licet nobis venas, &amp; &s;anguen, &amp; o&s;&s;a,</L>
<L>Et nervos alienigenis ex partibus e&s;&s;e:</L>
<L>Sive cibos omnis commi&s;to corpore dicent</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e, &amp; habere in &s;e nervorum corpora parva.</L>
<L>O&s;&s;&aacute;que, &amp; omnino venas, part&iacute;&s;que cruoris;</L>
<L>Fiet, uti cibus omnis &amp; ardus, &amp; liqu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">r ip&s;e,</L>
<L>Ex alienigenis rebus con&s;tare putetur,</L>
<L><PB N="64" REF="41">
O&s;&s;ibus, &amp; nervis, ven&igrave;&s;que, &amp; &s;anguine mi&s;to.</L>
<L>Praeterea quaecumque &egrave; terra corpora cre&s;cunt,</L>
<L>Si &s;unt in terris; terras con&s;tare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Ex alienigenis, quae terris exoriuntur.</L>
<L>Transfer item; totidem verbis utare licebit:</L>
<L>In lignis &s;i flamma latet, fum&uacute;&s;que, cin&iacute;&s;que:</L>
<L>Ex alienigenis con&s;i&s;tant ligna, nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Linquitur hic tenuis latitandi copia quaedam:</L>
<L>Id quod Anaxagoras &s;ibi &s;umit, ut omnibus omnis</L>
<L>Res putet immi&s;tas rebus latitare; &s;ed illud</L>
<L>Appar&ecirc;re unum, cujus &s;int pluria mi&s;ta,</L>
<L>Et magis in promptu, prim&aacute;que in fronte locata:</L>
<L>Quod tamen &agrave; vera longe ratione repul&s;um e&s;t.</L>
<L>Conveniebat enim fruges quoque &s;aepe minutas,</L>
<L>Robore cum &s;axi franguntur, mittere &s;ignum</L>
<L>Sanguinis: aut aliquid, no&s;tra quo corpora aluntur,</L>
<L>Cum lapidi lapidem terimus, manare cruorem.</L>
<L>Con&s;imili ratione herbas quoque &s;aepe decebat,</L>
<L>Et latices dulcis guttas, &s;imilique &s;apore</L>
<L>Mittere, lanigerae quali &s;unt ubera lactis:</L>
<L>Scilicet &amp; glebis terrarum &s;aepe friatis</L>
<L>Herbarum genera, &amp; fruges, frund&ecirc;&s;que videri</L>
<L>Di&s;pertita, ac in terris latitare minut&egrave;:</L>
<L>Po&s;tremo in lignis, cinerem, fum&uacute;mque videri,</L>
<L>Cum praefracta forent, ign&iacute;&s;que lat&ecirc;re minutos:</L>
<L>Quorum nihil fieri quoniam manife&s;ta docet res;</L>
<L>Scire licet non e&s;&s;e in rebus res ita mi&s;tas:</L>
<L>Ver&ugrave;m &s;emina multimodis immi&s;ta latere</L>
<L>Multarum rerum in rebus communia debent.</L>
<L>At &s;aepe in magnis fit montibus, (inquis) ut altis</L>
<L>Arboribus vicina cacumina &s;umma terantur</L>
<L>Inter &s;e, validis facere id cogentibus au&s;tris;</L>
<L><PB N="66" REF="42">
Donec fiammai ful&s;erunt flore coorto,</L>
<L>Scilicet &amp; non e&s;t lignis tamen in&s;itus ignis;</L>
<L>Ver&ugrave;m &s;emina &s;unt ardoris multa: terendo</L>
<L>Quae cum confluxere, creant incendia &s;ilvis.</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i tanta foret &s;ilvis ab&s;condita flamma:</L>
<L>Non po&s;&s;ent ullum tempus celarier ignes:</L>
<L>Conficerent volgo &s;ilvas, arbu&s;ta cremarent.</L>
<L>J&aacute;m ne vides igitur, paull<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> quod diximus ant&eacute;,</L>
<L>Permagni referre eadem primordia &s;aepe,</L>
<L>Cum quibus, &amp; quali po&s;itura contineantur;</L>
<L>Et quos inter &s;e dent motus, accipi&aacute;ntque?</L>
<L>Atque eadem paullo inter &s;e mutata creare</L>
<L>Ignis &egrave; lignis? quo pacto verba quoque ip&s;a</L>
<L>Inter &s;e paullo mutatis &s;unt elementis,</L>
<L>Cum ligna, atque ignis di&s;tincta voce notemus.</L>
<L>Denique jam quaecumque in rebus cernis apertis,</L>
<L>Si fieri non po&s;&s;e putas, quin matera&iuml;</L>
<L>Corpora con&s;imili natura praedita fingas:</L>
<L>Hae ratione tibi pereunt primordia rerum:</L>
<L>Fiet, uti ri&s;u tremulo concu&s;&s;a cachinnent,</L>
<L>Et lachrumis &s;al&s;is humectent ora, gen&aacute;&s;que.</L>
<L>Nunc age, quod &s;upere&s;t, cogno&s;ce &amp; clarius audi.</L>
<L>Nec me animi fallit, qu&agrave;m &s;int ob&s;cura: &s;ed acri</L>
<L>Percu&s;&s;it thyr&s;o laudis spes magna meum cor:</L>
<L>Et &s;imul incu&s;&s;it &s;uavem mi in pectus amorem</L>
<L>Mu&s;arum; quo nunc in&s;tinctus, mente vigenti</L>
<L>Avia Pieridum peragro loca, nullius ant&egrave;</L>
<L>Trita &s;olo: juvat integros accedere fontis,</L>
<L>Atque haurire: juv&aacute;tque novos decerpere flores;</L>
<L>In&s;ign&eacute;mque meo capiti petere inde coronam,</L>
<L>&V;nde prius nulli velarint tempora Mu&s;ae:</L>
<L>Prim&ugrave;m qu&ograve;d magnis doceo de rebus; &amp; artis</L>
<L>Relligionum animos nodis ex&s;olvere porgo:</L>
<L><PB N="68" REF="43">
Deinde quod ob&s;cura de re tam lucida pango</L>
<L>Carmina, mu&s;aeo continguens cuncta lep&ocirc;re.</L>
<L>Id quoque enim non ab nulla ratione videtur:</L>
<L>Sed veluti pueris ab&s;ynthia tetra medentes</L>
<L>Cum dare conantur, prius oras pocula circ&ugrave;m</L>
<L>Continguunt mellis dulci flav&ocirc;que liquore,</L>
<L>&V;t puerorum aetas improvida ludificetur</L>
<L>Labrorum tenus; interea perpotet amarum</L>
<L>Ab&s;ynth&punc; laticem, decept&aacute;que non capiatur,</L>
<L>Sed potius tali facto recreata vale&s;cat:</L>
<L>Sic ego nunc, quoniam haec ratio plerumque videtur</L>
<L>Tri&s;tior e&s;&s;e, quibus non e&s;t tractata; retr&oacute;que</L>
<L>Volgus abhorret ab hac; volui tibi &s;uaviloquenti</L>
<L>Carmine Pierio rationem exponere no&s;tram;</L>
<L>Et qua&s;i muo&s;&euml;o, dulci continguere melle:</L>
<L>Si tibi forte animum tali ratione tenere</L>
<L>Ver&s;ibus in nostris po&s;&s;em: dum per&s;picis omnem</L>
<L>Naturam rerum, qua con&s;tet compta figura.</L>
<L>Sed quoniam docui &s;olidi&s;&s;ima materia&iuml;</L>
<L>Corpora perpetu&ograve; volitare invicta per aevum:</L>
<L>Nunc age &s;umma&iuml; ecquaenam &s;it finis eorum,</L>
<L>Nec &s;it, evolvamus: item, quod inane repertum e&s;t,</L>
<L>Seu locus, ac &s;patium, res in quo quaeque gerantur,</L>
<L>Pervideamus utrum finitum funditus omne</L>
<L>Con&s;tet; an immen&s;um pateat vel adu&s;&abque; profundu~.</L>
<L>Omne quod e&s;t igitur nulla regione viarum</L>
<L>Finitum e&s;t: namque extremum debebat habere.</L>
<L>Extremum porr&ograve; nullius po&s;&s;e videtur</L>
<L>E&s;&s;e, ni&s;i ultr&agrave; &s;it, quod finiat: ut videatur,</L>
<L>Quo non longius haec &s;en&s;us natura &s;equatur:</L>
<L>Nunc, extra &s;ummam quoniam nihil e&s;&s;e fatendu~ e&s;t,</L>
<L>Non habet extremum: caret ergo fine, mod&oacute;que.</L>
<L>Nec refert quibus ad&s;i&s;tas regionibus ejus.</L>
<L>&V;&s;queadeo quem qui&s;que locum po&s;&s;edit, in omnis</L>
<L>Tantumdem partis infinitum omne relinqui<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">.</L>
<L>Praeterea, &s;i jam finitum con&s;tituatur</L>
<L><PB N="70" REF="44">
Omne quod e&s;t spatium: &s;i quis procurrat ad orat</L>
<L>&V;ltimus extremas, jaci&aacute;tque volatile telum;</L>
<L>Invalidis utrum contortum viribus ire,</L>
<L>Quo fuerit mi&s;&s;um mavis, long&eacute;que volare:</L>
<L>An prohibere aliquid cen&s;es, ob&s;tar&eacute;que po&s;&s;e?</L>
<L>Alter utrum fatearis enim, &s;um&aacute;&s;que nece&s;&s;e e&s;t;</L>
<L>Quorum utrum&abque; tibi effugium praecludit, &amp; omne,</L>
<L>Cogit, ut exempta concedas fine patere.</L>
<L>Nam &s;ive e&s;t aliquid, quod prohibeat, offici&aacute;tque,</L>
<L>Quo minus, quo mi&s;&s;um e&s;t, veniat, fin&iacute;que locet &s;e;</L>
<L>Sive foras fertur: non e&s;t ea finis profect&ograve;:</L>
<L>Hoc pacto &s;equar, atque oras ubicumque locaris</L>
<L>Extremas, quaeram, quid telo denique fiat.</L>
<L>Fiet, uti nu&s;quam po&s;&s;it con&s;i&s;tere finis;</L>
<L>Effugi&ugrave;mque fugae prolatet copia &s;emper.</L>
<L>Praeterea, &s;patium &s;umma&iuml; totius omne</L>
<L>&V;ndique &s;i inclu&s;um certis con&s;i&s;teret oris,</L>
<L>Finit&uacute;mque foret; jam copia materia&iuml;</L>
<L>&V;ndique ponderibus &s;olidis confluxet ad imum:</L>
<L>Nec res ulla geri &s;ub caeli tegmine po&s;&s;et:</L>
<L>Nec foret omnino caelum, neque lumina &s;olis;</L>
<L>Quippe ubi materies omnis cumulata jaceret</L>
<L>Ex infinito jam tempore &s;ub&s;idendo.</L>
<L>At nunc nimirum requies data principiorum</L>
<L>Corporibus nulla e&s;t quia nihil e&s;t funditus imum,</L>
<L>Qu&ograve; qua&s;i confluere, &amp; &s;edes ubi ponere po&s;&s;int:</L>
<L>Semper &amp; a&s;&s;iduo motu res quaeque geruntur</L>
<L>Partibus in cunctis, aetern&aacute;que &s;uppeditantur</L>
<L>Ex infinito cita corpora materia&iuml;.</L>
<L>Po&s;trem&ograve; ante oculos rem res finire videtur:</L>
<L>A&euml;r di&s;&s;epit collis, atque a&euml;ra montes.</L>
<L>Terra mare, &amp; contr&agrave; mare terras terminat omnis.</L>
<L>Omne quidem ver&ograve; nihil e&s;t quod finiat, extr&agrave;.</L>
<L>Est igitur natura lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">i, &s;pati&uacute;mque profundi;</L>
<L>Quod neque clarae&s;uo precurrere fluminae cur&s;u</L>
<L>Perpeti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">o po&s;&s;int aevi labentia tractu:</L>
<L><PB N="72" REF="45">
Nec pror&s;um facere, ut re&s;tet minus ire meando</L>
<L>&V;&s;queadeo pa&s;&s;im patet ingens copia rebus</L>
<L>Finibus exemptis in cunctas undique partis.</L>
<L>Ip&s;a modum porr&ograve; &s;ibi rerum &s;umma parare</L>
<L>Ne po&s;&s;it natura tenet: quia corpus inani,</L>
<L>Et quod inane autem e&s;t, finiri corpore cogit:</L>
<L>&V;t &s;ic alternis infinita omnia reddat.</L>
<L>Aut etiam, alterutrum ni&s;i terminet alterum eoru~,</L>
<L>Simplice natura pateat tamen immoderatum:</L>
<L>Nec mare, nec tellus, nec caeli lucida templa,</L>
<L>Nec mortale genus, nec div&ucirc;m corpora &s;ancta</L>
<L>Exiguum po&s;&s;ent hora&iuml;, &s;i&s;tere tempus.</L>
<L>Nam di&s;pul&s;a &s;ue de coetu materia&iuml;</L>
<L>Copia ferretur magnum per inane &s;oluta:</L>
<L>Sive ade&ograve; potius numquam concreta crea&s;&s;et</L>
<L>&V;llam rem, quoniam cogi disjecta nequi&s;&s;et.</L>
<L>Nam cert&egrave; neque concilio primordia rerum</L>
<L>Ordine &s;e quaeque, atque &s;agaci mente locarunt:</L>
<L>Nec quos quaeque darent motus pepigere profect&ograve;:</L>
<L>Sed quia multa modis multis mutataper omne</L>
<L>Ex infinito vexantur percita plagis,</L>
<L>Omne genus motus, &amp; coetus experiundo;</L>
<L>Tandem deveniunt in talis di&s;po&s;ituras;</L>
<L>Qualibus haec rebus con&s;i&s;tit &s;umma creata:</L>
<L>Et multos etiam magnos &s;ervata per annos,</L>
<L>&V;t &s;emel in motus conjecta est convenientis,</L>
<L>Efficit, ut largis avidum mare fluminis undis</L>
<L>Integrent amnes, &amp; &s;olis terra vapore</L>
<L>Fota novet fetus, &s;ummi&s;&s;&aacute;que gens animantum</L>
<L>Floreat, &amp; vivant labentes aetheris ignes.</L>
<L>Quod nullo facerent pacto, ni&s;i materia&iuml;</L>
<L><PB N="74" REF="46">
Ex infinito &s;uboriri cop&icirc;a po&s;&s;et,</L>
<L>&V;nde ami&s;&s;a &s;olent reparari in tempore quoque.</L>
<L>Nam veluti privata cibo natura animantum</L>
<L>Diffluit amittens corpus: &s;ic omnia debent</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;olvi, &s;imul ac defecit &s;uppeditare</L>
<L>Materies resta regione aver&s;a via&iuml;.</L>
<L>Nec plagae po&s;&s;ent intrin&s;ecus undique &s;ummam</L>
<L>Con&s;ervare omnem, quaecumque e&s;t conciliata.</L>
<L>Cudere enim crebr&ograve; po&s;&s;unt, part&eacute;mque morari,</L>
<L>Dum veniant aliae, ac &s;uppleri &s;umma queatur:</L>
<L>Interdum re&s;ilire tamen coguntur &amp; un&agrave;</L>
<L>Principiis rerum &s;patium, temp&uacute;&s;que fuga&iuml;</L>
<L>Largiri, ut po&s;&s;int &agrave; coetu libera ferri.</L>
<L>Quare etiam atque etiam &s;uboriri multa nece&s;&s;e e&s;t.</L>
<L>Et tamen ut plagae quoque po&s;&s;int &s;uppetere ip&s;ae,</L>
<L>Infinita opus e&s;t vis undique materia&iuml;.</L>
<L>Illud in his rebus long&egrave; fuge credere, Memmi,</L>
<L>In medium &s;ummae quod dicunt omnia niti,</L>
<L>Atque ideo mundi naturam &s;tare &s;ine ullis</L>
<L>Ictibus externis; neque quoquam po&s;&s;e re&s;olvi</L>
<L>Summa at&abque; ima, qu&ograve;d in medium &s;int omnia nixa;</L>
<L>(Ip&s;um &s;i quidquam po&s;&s;e in &s;e &s;i&s;tere credis)</L>
<L>Et quae pondera &s;unt &s;ub terris, omnia &s;ur&s;um</L>
<L>Nitier, in terr&aacute;mque retr&ograve; requie&s;cere po&s;ta:</L>
<L>&V;t per aquas quae nunc rerum &s;imulacra videmus.</L>
<L>Et &s;imili ratione animalia &s;ubtus vagari</L>
<L>Contendunt neque po&s;&s;e &egrave; terris in loca caeli</L>
<L>Recidere inferiora magis, qu&agrave;m corpora no&s;tra</L>
<L>Sponte &s;ua po&s;&s;int in caeli templa volare:</L>
<L>Illi c&ugrave;m videant &s;olem, nos &s;idera noctis</L>
<L>Cernere, &amp; alternis nobi&s;cum tempora caeli</L>
<L>Dividere, &amp; noctes parilis agitare diebus.</L>
<L><PB N="76" REF="47">
Sed vanus &s;tolidis haec omnia finxerit error;</L>
<L>Amplexi quod habent perver&s;&egrave; prima via&iuml;:</L>
<L>Nam medium nihil e&s;&s;e pote&s;t, ubi inane, loc&uacute;&s;que</L>
<L>Infinita: neque omnino, &s;i jam medium &s;it,</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;it ibi quidquam hac potius con&s;i&s;tere cau&s;&s;a,</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m quavis alia long&egrave; regione manere.</L>
<L>Omnis enim locus, ac &s;patium, quod inane vocamus,</L>
<L>Per medium, per non medium concedat oportet</L>
<L>Aeque ponderibus, motus quacumque feruntur,</L>
<L>Nec qui&s;quam locus e&s;t, qu&ograve; corpora cum ven&ecirc;re,</L>
<L>Ponderis ami&s;&s;a vi po&s;&s;int &s;tare inani.</L>
<L>Nec quod inane autem e&s;t, illis &s;ub&s;i&s;tere debet,</L>
<L>Quin, &s;ua quod natura petit, concedere pergat.</L>
<L>Haud igitur po&s;&s;unt tali ratione teneri</L>
<L>Res in concilio medii cuppedine victae.</L>
<L>Praeterea, quoniam non omnia corpora fingunt</L>
<L>In medium niti, &s;ed terrarum atque liquoris,</L>
<L>Humorem ponti magni&s;que &egrave; montibus undas,</L>
<L>Et qua&s;i terreno quae corpora contineantur:</L>
<L>At contra tenuis exponunt a&euml;ris auras,</L>
<L>Et calidos &s;imul &agrave; medio differrier ignis,</L>
<L>Atque ide&ograve; totum circumtremere aethera &s;ignis;</L>
<L>Et &s;olis flammam per caeli caerula pa&s;ci,</L>
<L>Qu&ograve;d calor &agrave; medio fugiens ibi conligat ignis:</L>
<L>Quippe etiam ve&s;ci &egrave; terra mortalia &s;aecla;</L>
<L>Nec pror&s;um arboribus &s;ummos frunde&s;cere ramos</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;e, ni&s;i &agrave; terris paullatim quodque cibatur.</L>
<L>Ne volucrum ritu flammarum, moenia mundi</L>
<L>Diffugiant &s;ubit&ograve; magnum per inane &s;oluta.</L>
<L><PB N="78" REF="48">
Et ne cetera con&s;imili ratione &s;equantur:</L>
<L>N&eacute;ve ruant caeli tonitralia templa &s;upern&egrave;,</L>
<L>Terr&aacute;que &s;e pedibus raptim &s;ubducat, &amp; omnes</L>
<L>Inter permixtas terrae, cael&iacute;que ruinas</L>
<L>Corpora &s;olventes, abeant per inane profundum;</L>
<L>Temporis ut puncto nihil extat relliquiarum,</L>
<L>De&s;ertum praeter &s;patium, &amp; primordia caeca:</L>
<L>Nam quacumque prius de parti corpora ce&s;&s;e</L>
<L>Con&s;titues, haec rebus erit pars janua leti:</L>
<L>H&agrave;c &s;e turba foras dabit omnis materia&icirc;.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Haec &s;i perno&s;ces parva perductus opella;</L>
<L>(Namque aliud ex alio clare&s;cet,) non tibi caeca</L>
<L>Nox iter eripiet, quin ultima natura&iuml;</L>
<L>Pervideas. <HI>Ita res accendunt lumina rebus.</HI></L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>Finis Libri Primi.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="english translation">
<PB N="13" REF="15">
<HEAD>AN
ESSAY
On the Fir&s;t Book of
T. L&V;CRETI&V;S CAR&V;S
DE
RERUM NATURA.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>Lib. I.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L><HI>ROMES</HI> Parent <HI>Venus,</HI> joy of Gods
above</L>
<L>And <HI>Men,</HI> who under tho&s;e bright &s;igns
that move</L>
<L>In heaven, do&s;t all comfort bring and mirth</L>
<L>To the &s;hip-bearing Seas, Corn-bearing Earth;</L>
<L>By thee conceiv'd &s;ince all things living be</L>
<L>Beholding the Suns light, the Winds do flee</L>
<L>O <HI>Godde&s;s,</HI> and the clouds which skies benight</L>
<L>Are di&s;&s;ipated, when thou com'&s;t in &s;ight</L>
<L>Smooth &s;eas and heavens &s;mile; under thy feet</L>
<L>Th'inamel'd earth doth her &s;weet flowers &s;ubmit;</L>
<L><PB N="15" REF="16">
For when the <HI>Springs</HI> return brings the clear day</L>
<L>And <HI>Genial We&s;t</HI> with kindely gales doth play,</L>
<L>Fir&s;t aery birds, who&s;e bre&s;t thy powrdoth touch</L>
<L>Chant forth (<HI>&ocirc; Godde&s;s</HI>) thee &amp; thine approach:</L>
<L>Then &s;avage Bruits jump ore the flowry meads,</L>
<L>Or take the &s;treams, where ere thy beauty leads,</L>
<L>Each Creature doth with eager pa&s;&s;ion goe;</L>
<L>La&s;tly, through Seas, and Hills, where Rivers flow</L>
<L>With rapid cour&s;e; or where the Birds do build</L>
<L>Their leafie roo&s;ts, and through the verdant field,</L>
<L>Soft flames thou do&s;t in every brea&s;t infu&s;e;</L>
<L>So a fre&s;h Off-&s;pring &s;till the Age renews.</L>
<L>Since then ore <HI>Nature</HI> thou &s;ole <HI>Queen</HI> do&s;t reign,</L>
<L>Nor ought without thee may the light attain,</L>
<L>Or can be frolick, or be plea&s;ant made;</L>
<L>A&s;&s;i&s;t the&s;e &s;tudious <HI>numbers</HI> with thine ayde,</L>
<L>Which I e&s;&s;ay of <HI>Natures works</HI> to tell</L>
<L>For honor'd <HI>Memmius,</HI> who doth mo&s;t excell</L>
<L>By thee accompli&s;ht; Godde&s;s, O be&s;tow</L>
<L>Eternal grace on what from me &s;hall flow,</L>
<L>That whil&s;t I write, by Seas and land may cea&s;e</L>
<L>Fire <HI>Wars</HI> clos'd in an everla&s;ting <HI>peace:</HI></L>
<L>To <HI>Mortals</HI> thou alone can&s;t re&s;t afford;</L>
<L>Since <HI>Mars,</HI> who is of direful wars, the Lord,</L>
<L>On thy fair Bo&s;om re&s;ting oft his head</L>
<L>With la&s;ting wounds of <HI>Love</HI> is vanqui&s;hed,</L>
<L>And bending his round neck which on thee lyes,</L>
<L>With greedy pa&s;&s;ion feeds his amorous eyes;</L>
<L>Whil&s;t on thy lips his fainting &s;oul is plac'<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</L>
<L>And he within tho&s;e &s;acred arms enchac'<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">;</L>
<L>Let charming accents thy &s;weet lips i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e,</L>
<L>And for &s;ad <HI>Rome</HI> an happy peace require;</L>
<L>For whil&s;t our Countrey thus afflicted lies,</L>
<L>With what content oan we Philo&s;ophize!</L>
<L>Nor may brave <HI>Memmius</HI> then wanting be</L>
<L>To th'Publike peace in &s;uch perplexitie.</L>
<L><PB N="17" REF="17">
Then <HI>Memmius</HI> it remains, that free from care,</L>
<L>To &s;ound di&s;cour&s;e thou lend a willing ear,</L>
<L>Nor let my gift fram'd out of ju&s;t re&s;pect</L>
<L>Ere under&s;tood be an&s;wer'd with neglect:</L>
<L>For I of <HI>Gods</HI> and <HI>Heaven</HI> will di&s;cour&s;e (&s;ource,</L>
<L>And &s;hew whence all things el&s;e derive their</L>
<L>Whence <HI>Nature</HI> doth create, augment, &amp; cheri&s;h</L>
<L>To what again re&s;olve them when they peri&s;h.</L>
<L>What things in our di&s;cour&s;e we <HI>Matter</HI> call,</L>
<L><HI>Proli&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">que bodies,</HI> and the &s;eeds of all.</L>
<L>Or if &s;uch terms do not the things compri&s;e,</L>
<L><HI>Prime Bodies</HI> name them, whence all other ri&s;e.</L>
<L><HI>Gods</HI> in their nature of them&s;elves &s;ub&s;i&s;t</L>
<L>'Tis certain, nor may ought their peace mole&s;t</L>
<L>For ever, unconcern'd with our affairs</L>
<L>And far remote, void of or grief or cares,</L>
<L>Need not our &s;ervice, &s;wim in full content,</L>
<L>Nor our good works accept, nor bad re&s;ent:</L>
<L>Whil&s;t &s;ometimes human life dejected lay</L>
<L>On earth, under gro&s;s <HI>&s;uper&s;titions</HI> &s;way,</L>
<L>Who&s;e head aloft from heaven &s;eem'd t'appear</L>
<L>And mankind with its horrid &s;hape did &s;care,</L>
<L>With mortal eyes to look on her that dur&s;t</L>
<L>Or contradict; a <HI>Grecian</HI> was the fir&s;t:</L>
<L>Him nor the fame of <HI>gods,</HI> nor lightnings fla&s;h,</L>
<L>Nor threatning bruit of thundring Skies could da&s;h,</L>
<L>But rather did his courage elevate,</L>
<L>Natures remote&s;t doors to penetrate;</L>
<L>Thus did he with his vigorous wit tran&s;pierce</L>
<L>The flaming limits of the Univer&s;e.</L>
<L>All that was great his generous &s;oul had view'd,</L>
<L>Whence what could be produc'd, what not be &s;hew'd</L>
<L>And how each finite thing hath bounds, nor may</L>
<L>By any means from her fixt limits &s;tray:</L>
<L>Wherefore fond <HI>Super&s;tition</HI> trampled lies</L>
<L>Beneath; we rear our Trophies to the Skies.</L>
<L><PB N="19" REF="18">
Yet fear I lea&s;t thou think my <HI>Arguments</HI></L>
<L>Should lead you into <HI>impious</HI> rudiments,</L>
<L>When as <HI>Religion</HI> it &s;elf, oft times</L>
<L>Hath perpetrated foul and bloody <HI>crimes.</HI></L>
<L>Thus when the <HI>Grecian</HI> chief's of prime repute</L>
<L>The unwed <HI>Trivian</HI> Altar did pollute</L>
<L>With <HI>Iphigenias</HI> blood at <HI>Aulis,</HI> where,</L>
<L>When as the <HI>Chaplet</HI> round her Virgin-hair</L>
<L>Di&s;chevel'd down her Cheeks on either &s;ide,</L>
<L>She near the Altar, her &s;ad Father &s;py'd,</L>
<L>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d from his eyes the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> the Knife to keep,</L>
<L>Whil'&s;t all the people round about her weep:</L>
<L>She mute with fear, kneeling, the Earth doth pre&s;s,</L>
<L>Nor did her Birth avail in that di&s;tre&s;s,</L>
<L>Or that the King fir&s;t <HI>&s;he</HI> a Father made,</L>
<L>But to the Altar, trembling was convey'd;</L>
<L>Not &s;o, as when in <HI>Hymens</HI> &s;olemn rites</L>
<L>The Bride is led to Nuptial delights,</L>
<L>But ripe for <HI>marriage</HI> &s;he pure Sacrifice,</L>
<L>By her &s;ad Sires con&s;ent, impurely dies,</L>
<L>That a &s;afe Expedition might be made,</L>
<L>To &s;o much ill could fooli&s;h Zeal per&s;wade!</L>
<L>Thy &s;elf (&s;o long) with <HI>Poets</HI> frightful lies</L>
<L>O'rcome, wilt our opinions &s;oon de&s;pi&s;e.</L>
<L>How many dreams yet could I to thee fain</L>
<L>Sufficient to confound thy very Brain.</L>
<L>And all th' <HI>enjoyments</HI> with vain <HI>fear</HI> offend;</L>
<L>And well; for did men think their <HI>woes</HI> had end,</L>
<L>After a &s;ort perhaps re&s;i&s;t they might</L>
<L><HI>Poetique</HI> Threats, and <HI>Super&s;titions</HI> fright.</L>
<L>But now in vain ala&s;s! no help remains</L>
<L>Since after death they dread <HI>eternal pains:</HI></L>
<L>For in this ignorance men live amus'd</L>
<L>Whether the <HI>Soul</HI> be <HI>born,</HI> or el&s;e <HI>infus'd</HI></L>
<L>They know not, or expiring with our breat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</L>
<L>Vi&s;its tho&s;e Lakes, and gloomy &s;hades beneath&punc;</L>
<L><PB N="21" REF="19">
Or el&s;e into &s;ome <HI>Bea&s;ts</HI> doth <HI>tran&s;migrate</HI></L>
<L>As learned <HI>Ennius</HI> hath &s;ung of late,</L>
<L>The fir&s;t among the <HI>Latins</HI> ere put on</L>
<L>A never dying crown from <HI>Helicon;</HI></L>
<L>Who&s;e lu&s;tre never <HI>Mortal</HI> did excel:</L>
<L>Though this man doth in la&s;ting numbers tell</L>
<L>On <HI>Acherontian</HI> banks, what <HI>Temples</HI> &s;tand,</L>
<L>Where nor our <HI>Souls</HI> nor <HI>Bodies</HI> ever land,</L>
<L>But &s;ome pale frightful <HI>Spectrum,</HI> like to that</L>
<L>Which he of <HI>Homer</HI> doth commemorate,</L>
<L>Who&s;e <HI>Gho&s;t</HI> di&s;&s;olv'd in briny tears came in</L>
<L>And to interpre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Nature</HI> did begin,</L>
<L>This &s;o, wee'l fir&s;t inquire of things above,</L>
<L>The Rea&s;ons how the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">un</HI> and <HI>Moon</HI> do move:</L>
<L>By what force all things on the earth are &s;way'd</L>
<L>With &s;trict enquiry, fir&s;t each rea&s;on weigh'd.</L>
<L>The Nature of the <HI>Soul</HI> wherein the mind</L>
<L>Con&s;i&s;ts, and what it is we waking find</L>
<L>So terrifies our thoughts, whether di&s;eas'd,</L>
<L>Or when dead &s;leep our faculties hath &s;eiz'd,</L>
<L>So that we &s;eem to hear, and &s;ee the faces</L>
<L>Of tho&s;e who&s;e buried bones cold earth imbraces.</L>
<L><HI>In</HI> Latine ver&s;e, 'tis hard I mu&s;t confe&s;s</L>
<L>The Greeks ob&s;cure conceptions to expre&s;s:</L>
<L>And principally, &s;ince there is &s;o much</L>
<L>New terms requires, the novelty being &s;uch</L>
<L>O'th' <HI>Matter,</HI> of our <HI>Tongue</HI> the poverty,</L>
<L>But yet thy worth, and the felicity</L>
<L>I find in thy &s;weet <HI>Friend&s;hip</HI> me per&s;wade</L>
<L>Cold nights to watch, &amp; through all dangers wade</L>
<L>What numbers, and expre&s;&s;ions I may find,</L>
<L>Which may clear lights pre&s;ent unto thy mind,</L>
<L>By who&s;e bright rays thou maye&s;t both &s;peculate</L>
<L><HI>Nature,</HI> and her deep &s;ecrets penetrate.</L>
<L>Dark fears of mind, then bani&s;h quite away,</L>
<L>Not with the Sun-beams, or the light of day,</L>
<L><PB N="23" REF="20">
But by &s;uch <HI>&s;pecies,</HI> as from Nature flow,</L>
<L>And what from right informed rea&s;on grow;</L>
<L>Which unto us this principle doth frame,</L>
<L><HI>That</HI> Out of nothing, nothing ever came.</L>
<L>'Tis onely thus, That men are aw'd with fear,</L>
<L>Becau&s;e &s;uch things in <HI>Heaven</HI> and <HI>Earth</HI> appear,</L>
<L>Of which, &s;ince they a rea&s;on cannot find</L>
<L>To a <HI>cele&s;tial</HI> Author they'r a&s;&s;ign'd.</L>
<L>But when we find that <HI>nought of nought</HI> can be,</L>
<L>What we pur&s;ue, we &s;hall more clearly &s;ee,</L>
<L>And &s;hew, whence all things fir&s;t produced were,</L>
<L>And yet the <HI>gods</HI> &s;till unconcerned are;</L>
<L>For, if of Nothing form'd, no u&s;e of Seed,</L>
<L>Since every &s;ort would from all things proceed.</L>
<L><HI>Men</HI> from the liquid Seas might then ari&s;e,</L>
<L><HI>Fi&s;hes</HI> &amp; <HI>Fowl,</HI> from Earth; <HI>Bea&s;ts</HI> from the Skies,</L>
<L>And other Cattel; <HI>Bruits</HI> uncertain birth</L>
<L>Would fill the w<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="broken" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;te, &amp; cultivated earth.</L>
<L>Nor could from the &s;ame trees the &s;ame fruit &s;pring</L>
<L>But al would change, &amp; <HI>all things all</HI> would bring.</L>
<L>For were not <HI>Bodies</HI> &s;eminal to each kind,</L>
<L>How &s;hould we then a certain <HI>Mother</HI> find</L>
<L>Legitimate? &s;ince then from certain &s;eeds</L>
<L>Each thing re&s;ults, and naturally proceeds,</L>
<L>Where proper matter, and fir&s;t bodies grow</L>
<L>From thence, &amp; thus produc'd their e&s;&s;ence &s;how.</L>
<L>Therefore<HI> from All things All things cannot ri&s;e,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Since certain things have di&s;tinct faculties.</HI></L>
<L>Whence is't we &s;ee the <HI>Ro&s;e</HI> in <HI>Spring,</HI> the <HI>Corn</HI></L>
<L>In <HI>Summer,</HI> and ripe <HI>Grapes</HI> in <HI>Autumn</HI> born?</L>
<L>But that of every thing the con&s;tant &s;eed</L>
<L>Concurring with the time in which they breed,</L>
<L>What ere's engendred in due &s;ea&s;on grows,</L>
<L>When the quick Earth her tender ofspring &s;hows.</L>
<L>Things made of nothing, would <HI>at once</HI> appear</L>
<L>In doubtful &s;pace, and unfit times o'th' year;</L>
<L><PB N="25" REF="21">
Becau&s;e there would no <HI>Principles</HI> remain</L>
<L>Which at improper times might them re&s;train</L>
<L>From <HI>Generation,</HI> nor yet would there need</L>
<L>(If things of nothing grew) a &s;pace for &s;eed.</L>
<L>Then <HI>Infants</HI> pre&s;ently <HI>Young-men</HI> would be,</L>
<L>And from the Earth, the Shrub, as &s;oon a Tree;</L>
<L>Which cannot be 'tis plain, &s;ince every thing</L>
<L>So &s;lowly from it's proper <HI>&s;eeds</HI> doth &s;pring,</L>
<L>And ri&s;ing do their kinds pre&s;erve to &s;how</L>
<L>How of their <HI>matter</HI> nouri&s;hed they grow.</L>
<L>So that unle&s;s &s;ome <HI>Annual</HI> &s;howres de&s;cend,</L>
<L>The Earth no fruits to human u&s;e can lend,</L>
<L>Nor <HI>Animals</HI> would propagate their kind,</L>
<L>Or live, unle&s;s due nouri&s;hment they find:</L>
<L>Then rather think, that many <HI>Bodies</HI> be</L>
<L>Common to many things, even as we &s;ee</L>
<L>To <HI>Words</HI> their <HI>Elements,</HI> never &s;urmi&s;e</L>
<L>Any without their <HI>Principles</HI> can ri&s;e.</L>
<L>In fine, why hath not <HI>Nature Mankind</HI> made</L>
<L>So huge, that he on foot through Seas might wade</L>
<L>Whole Mountains with his mon&s;trous hand di&s;|place,</L>
<L>And &s;undry Ages in long life &s;urpa&s;s;</L>
<L>Unle&s;s to the production of all things</L>
<L>There need a <HI>certain matter</HI> whence it &s;prings?</L>
<L>Of <HI>Nothing</HI> then <HI>Nothing</HI> we mu&s;t conclude</L>
<L>Re&s;ults; but each thing is with <HI>&s;eed</HI> indu'de,</L>
<L>From which all that's created comes to light</L>
<L>And clearly manife&s;t them&s;elves to &s;ight.</L>
<L>Since then rich fields &s;urpa&s;s the barren ground,</L>
<L>Which <HI>culture</HI> makes in choycer fruits abound,</L>
<L>We well perceive the cau&s;es of each thing,</L>
<L>How they re&s;ult, and from Earths bowels &s;pring,</L>
<L>As oft as we turn up the <HI>Soyl,</HI> and tear</L>
<L>The <HI>Gleabe</HI> with Spades, or with the crooked Share;</L>
<L>El&s;e &s;hould you &s;ee <HI>Nature</HI> would &s;till produce</L>
<L>Things of her own accord, and better u&s;e.</L>
<L><PB N="27" REF="22">
Add unto this, <HI>Nature</HI> to their fir&s;t &s;tate</L>
<L>Doth all di&s;&s;olve, nothing annihilate,</L>
<L>For if in all parts any thing could fail,</L>
<L><HI>Death</HI> over all things would in time prevail;</L>
<L>Nor needed there a force to di&s;compo&s;e</L>
<L>Their parts, or their &s;trict union unloo&s;e:</L>
<L>But &s;ince in all eternal <HI>Seeds</HI> re&s;ide.</L>
<L>Till &s;uch a <HI>blow</HI> it meets, which it divides</L>
<L>Or el&s;e di&s;&s;olves by &s;ubtle <HI>Penetration,</HI></L>
<L>Nature pre&s;erves it whole from di&s;&s;ipation.</L>
<L>Be&s;ide what things are with their ages pa&s;t,</L>
<L>If time did kill, and all their matter wa&s;te</L>
<L>Whence doth &s;weet <HI>Venus</HI> give to &s;ouls new birth</L>
<L>Through all their kinds? how &s;hould the various earth</L>
<L>Augment each kind with proper diet fed?</L>
<L>Whence flow the <HI>Seas?</HI> whence have free <HI>Springs</HI> their head?</L>
<L>Whence do the far extended <HI>Rivers</HI> ri&s;e?</L>
<L>And <HI>Stars,</HI> how are they nouri&s;h'd in the Skies?</L>
<L>Since length of times, and daies &s;o many pa&s;t,</L>
<L>All mortal <HI>bodies</HI> had ere this defac'd.</L>
<L>If then from that large tract, ought hath remain'd</L>
<L>From whence the &s;um of things has been main|tain'd</L>
<L>Sure an <HI>immortal nature</HI> doth in&s;pire</L>
<L>Them, nor can any thing to <HI>nought</HI> retire:</L>
<L>All from like force and cau&s;e di&s;&s;olv'd would be,</L>
<L>Did not <HI>eternal matter</HI> keep it free:</L>
<L>And more or le&s;s them to their &s;ubjects bind,</L>
<L>One <HI>touch</HI> to them a cau&s;e of death they'd find.</L>
<L>Had bodies no eternal permanence,</L>
<L>They would di&s;&s;olve with the lea&s;t violence:</L>
<L>But &s;ince the bands of various cau&s;es are</L>
<L>(Though <HI>matter</HI> permanent) <HI>di&s;&s;imilar,</HI></L>
<L>Bodies of things are &s;afe 'till they receive</L>
<L>A force which may their proper thread unweave,</L>
<L>Nought then returns to nought, but pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ed fals</L>
<L>To <HI>Bodies</HI> of their prime <HI>Originals.</HI></L>
<L><PB N="29" REF="23">
Tho&s;e &s;howres w^c^h Heaven Father-like doth &s;end</L>
<L>Down on our mother Earth there &s;eem to end,</L>
<L>Yet thence delicious fruits from trees inlarge,</L>
<L>And the fre&s;h branches with their burthen charge:</L>
<L>Hence &s;he mankind and animals doth nouri&s;h,</L>
<L>And hence w^t^h numerous children Cities flouri&s;h</L>
<L>Hence the thick Groves with new fledg'd birds re&s;ound</L>
<L>And fat Heards re&s;t their limbs on fertil ground,</L>
<L>Hence pure milk from di&s;tended teats di&s;tils,</L>
<L>And late faln Young <HI>warm'd</HI> with &s;weet &s;uck it fils,</L>
<L>Who frisking o're the Meadows as they pa&s;s</L>
<L>Frolick their feeble limbs on tender gra&s;s;</L>
<L>Then nothing &s;ure its being quite for&s;akes,</L>
<L>Since <HI>Nature</HI> one thing, from another makes;</L>
<L>Nor is there ought indeed which &s;he &s;upplies</L>
<L>Without the aid of &s;omething el&s;e that dies.</L>
<L>Since then I teach <HI>that nought of nothing breeds,</HI></L>
<L>Or once produc'd, to nought again recedes.</L>
<L>Lea&s;t yet thou &s;hould&s;t my Arguments diffide</L>
<L>Becau&s;e that <HI>Elements</HI> cannot be &s;pi'd</L>
<L>By humane eyes; behold what bodies now</L>
<L>In things thou can&s;t not &s;ee, yet mu&s;t allow.</L>
<L>Fir&s;t, mighty Winds, the rolling Seas incite,</L>
<L>Huge Ve&s;&s;els wrack, and put the clouds to flight;</L>
<L>Ru&s;hing through fields, &s;ometimes tall trees they crack;</L>
<L>And with their tearing bla&s;ts high mountains &s;hake</L>
<L>The <HI>Seas</HI> likewi&s;e in thundring billows ri&s;e</L>
<L>And with their raging murmur threat the Skies.</L>
<L><HI>Winds</HI> therefore un&s;een <HI>bodies</HI> are, which &s;weep</L>
<L>The fleeting clouds, the Earth, the Azure deep,</L>
<L>Bearing with &s;udden &s;torm all things away,</L>
<L>Yet thus proceeding, do they nought de&s;troy</L>
<L>Other then as the yeelding water flowes,</L>
<L>Augmented by large &s;howres, or melted &s;nows rend</L>
<L>Wch from deep clifts in <HI>Cataracts</HI> de&s;cend,</L>
<L>Whole trees they float, and pro&s;trate woods they</L>
<L><PB N="31" REF="24">
Nor can &s;trong Bridges their approach &s;u&s;tain,</L>
<L>Who&s;e rapid torrent do's all check di&s;dain.</L>
<L>The River with immoderate &s;howres repleat,</L>
<L>Again&s;t their <HI>Piles</HI> impetuou&s;ly does beat:</L>
<L>Roaring it ruins, huge &s;tones along it rowles,</L>
<L>All things it &s;poyles, and nothing it controles.</L>
<L>Even &s;o the gu&s;ts of &s;turdy winds do tend</L>
<L>Like &s;wifte&s;t Rivers when they downwards bend,</L>
<L>And carrie all before with double might,</L>
<L>Sometimes they &s;natch, and hurry things upright</L>
<L>In rapid whirle, Therefore I add agen</L>
<L>The Winds are Bodies, and yet are not &s;een.</L>
<L>Since their eff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">cts, and motions every where</L>
<L>Like <HI>Rivers</HI> be, who&s;e <HI>bodies</HI> do appear,</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, of things we &s;mel the various <HI>&s;ents,</HI></L>
<L>Which yet no &s;ub&s;tance to our &s;ight pre&s;ents;</L>
<L>We with our eyes &s;ee neither <HI>Heat</HI> nor <HI>Cold,</HI></L>
<L>Nor can we any <HI>Voyces</HI> &s;ound behold</L>
<L>Which of <HI>Corporeal nature</HI> yet con&s;i&s;t,</L>
<L>For they the <HI>Sen&s;e</HI> affect 'tis manife&s;t.</L>
<L>Touch and be touch't, nought &s;ave a body may:</L>
<L>Cloaths become moi&s;t, w^c^h we on &s;hoars di&s;play;</L>
<L>Spread in the Sun, again, they dry appear:</L>
<L>But neither how that humour entred there</L>
<L>Can we perceive: nor by what means it flies</L>
<L>The heat &s;o &s;oon, and con&s;equently dries.</L>
<L>Therefore that which is humid &s;eparates</L>
<L>By minute parts, which no eye penetrates:</L>
<L>Thus at the bare return of &s;undry years</L>
<L>The <HI>Ring</HI> which one upon his finger wears</L>
<L>Dimini&s;heth: <HI>Drops</HI> which do oft di&s;till,</L>
<L>Hollow hard <HI>&s;tones;</HI> And whil&s;t the field we till,</L>
<L>The <HI>Coulter</HI> of the Plough is le&s;&s;ened:</L>
<L>And paved ways, whereon the people tread</L>
<L>Wear out we &s;ee: <HI>Bra&s;s Statues</HI> at our gates</L>
<L>Shew their <HI>right hand,</HI> w^c^h frequent <HI>tonch</HI> abates</L>
<L><PB N="33" REF="25">
Of &s;uch as vi&s;it oft, or pa&s;s the way;</L>
<L>Therefore things often worn the more decay:</L>
<L>But in each time, what <HI>bodies</HI> do di&s;car'd</L>
<L>Is a fine &s;ight from our gro&s;s eyes debar'd?</L>
<L>La&s;tly, what Nature by <HI>minute</HI> degrees</L>
<L>And time applies, our &s;harpe&s;t eye-&s;ight flees;</L>
<L>Nor what through <HI>age</HI> or <HI>leanne&s;s</HI> do's decay,</L>
<L>Nor what from rocks at Sea <HI>time</HI> frets a way</L>
<L>With gnawing <HI>&s;alt</HI> con&s;um'd, do we e&s;py:</L>
<L>Nature with <HI>bodies</HI> then un&s;een to th'eye</L>
<L>All things doth manage; not that I &s;uppo&s;e</L>
<L>Nature with <HI>Bodies</HI> do's each thing inclo&s;e</L>
<L>On every &s;ide, for there's a <HI>Voyd</HI> in things</L>
<L>Which rightly to conceive, much profit brings:</L>
<L>Nor will it &s;uffer thee to err, or doubt,</L>
<L>Or our a&s;&s;ertions &s;light in finding out</L>
<L>The &s;um of things, therefore there is a place</L>
<L><HI>Intangible,</HI> and <HI>voyd:</HI> el&s;e in no ca&s;e</L>
<L>Could ought be mov'd; for <HI>Bodies</HI> which re&s;i&s;t</L>
<L>And naturally &s;top, would all mole&s;t,</L>
<L>And each thing would be at a certain &s;tay</L>
<L>Becau&s;e it could not to the next give way.</L>
<L>But now through Seas, on Earth, in lofty Skies</L>
<L>We many things contemplate with our eyes</L>
<L>Move various ways, which if no <HI>voyd</HI> you grant,</L>
<L>Would not &s;o much, their proper motion want</L>
<L>As they by no means e're could have been made:</L>
<L>For matter block'd up on all &s;ides had &s;tay'd.</L>
<L>Now though things &s;eem as if <HI>condens'd</HI> they were,</L>
<L>Yet there's good <HI>Argument</HI> to think them rare;</L>
<L>Since through the Rocks and Caves moi&s;t humour &s;lides,</L>
<L>And in abundant drops the water glides,</L>
<L>Through each thing living alimental juyce</L>
<L>Extends, &s;hrubs grow, and fruit in time produce.</L>
<L>Becau&s;e the &s;ap drawn from the root it &s;preads</L>
<L>Into the Trunk, and through the branches &s;heads.</L>
<L><PB N="35" REF="26">
Thus <HI>Voyces</HI> through clos'd Walls in&s;inuate,</L>
<L>And rigid cold, the hard bones penetrate.</L>
<L>Whereas a <HI>Voyd</HI> deny'd, you'l ne'r define</L>
<L>How Bodies can a <HI>Thorow-fare</HI> a&s;&s;ign.</L>
<L>Whence is't &s;ome things others out weigh we &s;ee,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t they in bulk, and figure both agree?</L>
<L>If in a Ball of <HI>Yarn,</HI> the &s;ub&s;tance were</L>
<L>Equall with <HI>Lead,</HI> like weight it ought to bear:</L>
<L>Since <HI>Bodies</HI> do by nature downwards fall,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t (contrary) <HI>Voyd</HI> hath no weight at all.</L>
<L>When things of equal &s;ize much lighter are,</L>
<L>'Tis cau&s;e the <HI>Voyd</HI> contain'd is greater far.</L>
<L>But that which doth exc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ed in heavine&s;s</L>
<L>More <HI>Body</HI> hath, and le&s;s of <HI>emptine&s;s.</HI></L>
<L>Therefore there is, that which our rea&s;on &s;hows,</L>
<L>A mixed <HI>voyd,</HI> which all things does inclo&s;e.</L>
<L>Lea&s;t this from truth &s;educe thee, as is feign'd</L>
<L>By &s;ome, to <HI>antedate</HI> I am con&s;train'd.</L>
<L>That <HI>Waters</HI> yeeld to &s;hoving <HI>fi&s;h</HI> (&s;ay they)</L>
<L>When gliding through they cut the liquid way;</L>
<L>Becau&s;e as they advance, they leave behind</L>
<L>A place, to which receding waves may wind.</L>
<L>That ought can move, if all the world be full</L>
<L>Is an opinion which doth &s;en&s;e annul.</L>
<L>For how could <HI>fi&s;hes</HI> move from place to place,</L>
<L>Unle&s;s the yeelding waters gave them &s;pace.</L>
<L>Or how returning are the waters mixt</L>
<L>If all the <HI>fi&s;h</HI> immoveable are fixt?</L>
<L>Then either we to <HI>Bodies</HI> mu&s;t allow</L>
<L>No motion, or mixt <HI>Vaccum</HI> avow</L>
<L>Scattered through all the parts, from whence each thing</L>
<L>Doth its fir&s;t <HI>Principle</HI> of motion bring.</L>
<L>La&s;tly, let two large <HI>Bodies</HI> in carrier</L>
<L>Strike and recoyle, Air needs mu&s;t take up here</L>
<L>All that wide <HI>&s;pace</HI> of <HI>Room</HI> that lies between,</L>
<L>But this <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;ively</HI> mu&s;t enter in:</L>
<L><PB N="37" REF="27">
For though with a &s;wift bla&s;t it flow about,</L>
<L>Yet fils it not <HI>at once,</HI> the &s;pace throughout:</L>
<L>For fir&s;t, the fir&s;t place mu&s;t be fil'd, the re&s;t</L>
<L>Immediately will after be po&s;&s;e&s;t.</L>
<L>If any now think when the <HI>Bodie</HI> cleaves</L>
<L>That then the air's <HI>condens'd,</HI> he much deceives</L>
<L>Him&s;elf; for then a <HI>voyd</HI> mu&s;t needs en&s;ue</L>
<L>Where there was none, and that be fill'd anew</L>
<L>Which empty was, nor can Air thus <HI>conden&s;e:</HI></L>
<L>Or, if it did, could you with <HI>Voyd</HI> di&s;pence;</L>
<L>Might it contract it &s;elf; nor into one</L>
<L>Unite its parts by <HI>Penetration.</HI></L>
<L>Much you may cavil here, but &s;till mu&s;t come</L>
<L>To this at la&s;t, <HI>There is a Vacuum.</HI></L>
<L>And now more <HI>Arguments</HI> might I produce</L>
<L>Which would to our a&s;&s;ertions much conduce,</L>
<L>But the&s;e may well &s;uffice a &s;tudious mind,</L>
<L>By which the re&s;t thou &s;halt mo&s;t &s;urely find;</L>
<L>For like as <HI>Dogs</HI> draw to thick coverts where</L>
<L>The Mountain bea&s;t is <HI>couch'd</HI> within the <HI>Lair,</HI></L>
<L>When once they are in <HI>train,</HI> even &s;o one thing</L>
<L>Thou from another may&s;t in order bring;</L>
<L>Peircing the hidden <HI>Cells</HI> which do conceal</L>
<L>The Truth, and thence the verity reveal.</L>
<L>Set but thy &s;elf to't <HI>Memmius,</HI> and pur&s;ue</L>
<L>The way, I'me confident you'l find it true;</L>
<L>Whil&s;t my &s;weet tongue, from my rich bo&s;om brings,</L>
<L>Such copious draughts, pout'd out from ample &s;prings,</L>
<L>That I may fear lea&s;t creeping age prevent</L>
<L>My feeble life, ere I the <HI>Argument.</HI></L>
<L>On each particular in <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> explain.</L>
<L>But now repeat we what was &s;aid again:</L>
<L>Nature as of her &s;elf two things implies,</L>
<L>A voyd and &s;olid Corporieties;</L>
<L>The things in <HI>place,</HI> and places where they move,</L>
<L>That there is Bodie Common &s;ence doth prove;</L>
<L><PB N="39" REF="28">
On which unle&s;s the fir&s;t opinion found,</L>
<L>We &s;hall in things <HI>occult</HI> but hardly ground</L>
<L>A judgement rational; for where's no <HI>room</HI></L>
<L>That <HI>empty</HI> is, there can no <HI>bodies</HI> come:</L>
<L>Or could they ever by each other move</L>
<L>As we have plainly &s;hew'd to thee above.</L>
<L>Things from all <HI>Bodies</HI> utterly di&s;-joyn'd</L>
<L>And &s;eparate from <HI>Voyd</HI> you none will find;</L>
<L>As if in <HI>Nature</HI> a <HI>third Entitie</HI></L>
<L>There &s;hould be; for &s;omething it ought to be</L>
<L>If once it do <HI>exi&s;t,</HI> bee't great or &s;mal,</L>
<L>Or capable of the lea&s;t <HI>touch</HI> at all</L>
<L>How &s;light &s;o ere it be, it mu&s;t needs come</L>
<L>Into the li&s;t of <HI>Bodies,</HI> and their <HI>&s;um.</HI></L>
<L>But if <HI>intangible</HI> the &s;id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s be all,</L>
<L>Hindring no pa&s;&s;age, <HI>That</HI> we <HI>Vacuum</HI> call.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, whatever of it &s;elf depends</L>
<L>Is always <HI>doing;</HI> or el&s;e to other lends</L>
<L>Subject to <HI>act</HI> on, or '<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">is &s;o ordain'd</L>
<L>Things may in it be moved and &s;u&s;tain'd:</L>
<L>But <HI>act</HI> and <HI>&s;uffer</HI> nought &s;ave <HI>Bodies</HI> may,</L>
<L>Nor any thing &s;ave <HI>Voyd</HI> give <HI>place</HI> or way;</L>
<L>Therefore be&s;ides tho&s;e two no <HI>Third</HI> can re&s;t</L>
<L>To &s;trike our &s;en&s;e, or &s;ink into our bre&s;t.</L>
<L>For each apparent thing this you will find</L>
<L>Either to one of the&s;e two things is joyn'd,</L>
<L>Or el&s;e they onely are the pure <HI>events</HI></L>
<L>Of them, or in &s;ome kind their <HI>con&s;equents,</HI></L>
<L>Now thats conjoyn'd which one can truly never</L>
<L>Without the ruin of the &s;ubject &s;ever.</L>
<L>As Water's <HI>wet,</HI> Earth <HI>heavy,</HI> Fire is <HI>hot:</HI></L>
<L>So <HI>Bodies</HI> may be <HI>toucht</HI> and <HI>Vacuum</HI> not.</L>
<L>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Subjection, Freedom, War,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Peace, Riches, Poverty;</HI> be they what ere.</L>
<L>With, and without which, <HI>Nature</HI>'s &s;till intire.</L>
<L>The&s;e ju&s;tly of <HI>Events</HI> the name acquire.</L>
<L><PB N="41" REF="29">
Nor is <HI>Time</HI> of it &s;elf, but from the things</L>
<L>Re&s;ults a &s;ence what every age forth brings:</L>
<L>For <HI>pre&s;ent, pa&s;t,</HI> or <HI>future,</HI> 'tis confe&s;t</L>
<L>Without things <HI>motion,</HI> and convenient <HI>re&s;t,</HI></L>
<L>Can never of them&s;elves di&s;cerned be</L>
<L>By any &s;en&s;ible capacitie.</L>
<L>Let's therefore &s;ee (in fine) how men have &s;ed</L>
<L>That <HI>Troy</HI> was &s;ack'd, and <HI>Helen</HI> ravi&s;hed;</L>
<L>Lea&s;t &s;uch <HI>expre&s;&s;ions</HI> us perchance con&s;train</L>
<L>To yeeld they yet in <HI>E&s;&s;ence</HI> do remain;</L>
<L>When that whole race of men, from whom alone</L>
<L>Flow'd the&s;e <HI>events,</HI> is long &s;ince pa&s;t and gone.</L>
<L>What <HI>Action</HI> then &s;o ere we under&s;tand,</L>
<L>Call it th' <HI>Event</HI> of &s;uch a <HI>Thing,</HI> or <HI>Land;</HI></L>
<L>La&s;tly, were <HI>Matter</HI> from all things ab&s;tracted,</L>
<L>Nor <HI>&s;pace,</HI> or <HI>place</HI> wherein they each were acted,</L>
<L>No &s;uch things ere had been, that <HI>Paris</HI> brea&s;t</L>
<L>Had (with the fire of <HI>Helens</HI> love po&s;&s;e&s;t)</L>
<L>Kindled a War for bloody Bittel's fam'd,</L>
<L>Nor had the wooden hor&s;e <HI>Troys</HI> Towres inflam'd</L>
<L>Of them not once &s;u&s;pected, by a &s;light,</L>
<L>With di&s;embowel'd <HI>Greeks</HI> in dead of night:</L>
<L>That <HI>Actions</HI> done then it is manife&s;t,</L>
<L>Do not like <HI>Bodies</HI> of them&s;elves &s;ub&s;i&s;t;</L>
<L>Nor yet as <HI>Vacuums</HI> them&s;elves pre&s;ent,</L>
<L>But rather &s;uch as we mu&s;t call <HI>event</HI></L>
<L>Of <HI>Bodies,</HI> and of <HI>place,</HI> by which and where</L>
<L>Such <HI>Actions</HI> and &s;uch <HI>Things</HI> performed were.</L>
<L>Bodies are either Principles of things,</L>
<L>Or &s;uch as from their adjunation &s;prings;</L>
<L>But <HI>Elements</HI> no &s;troaks can violate,</L>
<L>Their &s;olid <HI>bodies</HI> dos all force rebate,</L>
<L>Although it may not over ea&s;ie &s;eem</L>
<L>In <HI>Nature</HI> any <HI>&s;olid</HI> to e&s;teem:</L>
<L>For <HI>Lightning</HI> oft our thicke&s;t walls &s;trikes through;</L>
<L><HI>Voyces and Cryes; Iron</HI> in fire doth glow,</L>
<L><PB N="43" REF="30">
The &s;tony rock with fervent vapour cleaves,</L>
<L>And rigid <HI>gold</HI> fu&s;ion in heat receives;</L>
<L>And bra&s;s congealed melts i'ch' flame; both cold</L>
<L>And heat the &s;ilver peirce; as when we hold</L>
<L>A <HI>Mazor</HI> in our hands one both perceives,</L>
<L>When powr'd aloft it a moi&s;t dew receives;</L>
<L>So that no <HI>&s;olid</HI> &s;eems in things to be:</L>
<L>But &s;ince the certain <HI>cau&s;e</HI> and true decree</L>
<L>Of Nature calls on us, a while give ear,</L>
<L>We in few lines will this a&s;&s;ertion clear,</L>
<L>That of a &s;olid, and eternal frame</L>
<L>Bodies there be which <HI>Principles</HI> we name,</L>
<L>And <HI>&s;eeds</HI> of things, from whence the total &s;um</L>
<L>And ma&s;s of all created being<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> come.</L>
<L>Since of <HI>two</HI> things, <HI>two</HI> Natu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">es then we &s;ee,</L>
<L>Which no way in their properties agree</L>
<L><HI>Bodies,</HI> and <HI>place,</HI> which doth all motions bear</L>
<L>Each do &s;ub&s;i&s;t and uncompounded are.</L>
<L>For wherefoere of Room, <HI>Emptie</HI> is &s;aid,</L>
<L>No <HI>Body</HI> is, again where ever's laid</L>
<L>A <HI>Body,</HI> is no <HI>voyd:</HI> firm therefore be</L>
<L><HI>Prime Bodies,</HI> and from <HI>empty &s;paces</HI> free.</L>
<L>But &s;ince in things there is a <HI>voyd</HI> confe&s;t,</L>
<L>'Bout <HI>&s;olid</HI> matter it mu&s;t &s;urely re&s;t:</L>
<L>Nor can it by right rea&s;on be &s;uppos'd</L>
<L>That <HI>Voyd</HI> is hid in <HI>Bodies,</HI> or inclos'd,</L>
<L>Unle&s;s you grant, what mu&s;t in Ju&s;tice follow,</L>
<L>Tho&s;e <HI>Bodies</HI> &s;olid are which hold the hollow,</L>
<L>And they be nought el&s;e, but that firm compos'd</L>
<L>Matter, in which this <HI>Vacuum</HI> is inclos'd,</L>
<L><HI>Matter</HI> then which confi&s;ts in <HI>&s;olid</HI> may</L>
<L>Be permanent, though all things el&s;e decay.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides did nought a <HI>Vacuum</HI> contain</L>
<L>All would be <HI>&s;olid,</HI> and did not again.</L>
<L>Some real <HI>Bodies</HI> &s;tand which fill up Places,</L>
<L>All were meer <HI>emptine&s;s</HI> where now are <HI>&s;paces</HI></L>
<L><PB N="45" REF="31">
Alternatly, then we mu&s;t grant there be</L>
<L>Bodies <HI>di&s;tinct,</HI> and a <HI>vacuitie.</HI></L>
<L>Since then nor all is <HI>full,</HI> nor <HI>empty &s;pace,</HI></L>
<L>Some <HI>Bodies</HI> are that garni&s;h every place.</L>
<L><HI>The&s;e</HI> nor by blows extern can wronged be,</L>
<L>Nor riveted between a&s;under flee;</L>
<L>Nor by what ere effort <HI>attaqu'd</HI> will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">lide,</L>
<L>That which above to you we ju&s;tifi'd:</L>
<L>For broken, cut in two, or once annoy'd</L>
<L>Could nothing be, unle&s;s there were a <HI>Voyd:</HI></L>
<L>Nor <HI>wet,</HI> nor <HI>cold</HI> admit, nor <HI>fires</HI> keen ray,</L>
<L>Which through all <HI>Concrete</HI> bodies makes his way:</L>
<L>And how much more things do include a <HI>voyd,</HI></L>
<L>By the&s;e a&s;&s;ail'd, they &s;ooner are de&s;troy'd.</L>
<L>If (as I taught) then <HI>Principles</HI> are free</L>
<L>From <HI>voyd,</HI> they likewi&s;e mu&s;t <HI>eternal</HI> be.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, had <HI>matter</HI> not for ever been,</L>
<L>We had long &s;ince all things reduced &s;een:</L>
<L>But (as we &s;hew'd) <HI>Nought can of Nothing be,</HI></L>
<L>Nor <HI>being</HI> once, revert to <HI>Nullitie.</HI></L>
<L>Bodies immortal, Principles require,</L>
<L>To which all compounds may at la&s;t retire,</L>
<L>That there may <HI>matter</HI> be for things &s;upplie&punc;</L>
<L>Then <HI>Principles have pure &s;oliditie;</HI></L>
<L>Nor may we el&s;e conceive ought la&s;tinglie,</L>
<L>Can for eternal reparation be.</L>
<L>Did <HI>Nature</HI> when &s;he doth in peeces take</L>
<L>Things, to her &s;elf no <HI>Bounds</HI> nor <HI>Limits</HI> make,</L>
<L><HI>Matter</HI> ere this, had been &s;o near reduc'd</L>
<L>To their fir&s;t <HI>cau&s;e,</HI> as nought could be produc'd</L>
<L>That e're would have attained perfectly</L>
<L>To their full <HI>age,</HI> and due maturity:</L>
<L>For things much &s;ooner peri&s;h, then attain</L>
<L>(<HI>Being once di&s;&s;olv'd) to be repair'd again:</HI></L>
<L>Wherefore long tract of <HI>time,</HI> which did expo&s;e</L>
<L>Their naked bodies to eternal blows.</L>
<L><PB N="47" REF="32">
Could not in a large &s;pace repair anew</L>
<L>What it &s;o long together overthrew,</L>
<L>But now to &s;uch de&s;truction 'tis mo&s;t plain</L>
<L><HI>Limits</HI> are fixt, &s;ince they'r re&s;tor'd again;</L>
<L>And to all &s;ort of things <HI>Times</HI> &s;et, in which</L>
<L>They may attain their ages perfect pitch.</L>
<L>Again, though <HI>matter</HI> be mo&s;t &s;olid taught,</L>
<L>Yet <HI>concret's</HI> may neverthele&s;s be <HI>Soft:</HI></L>
<L>So <HI>Air, Earth, Water;</HI> &s;o are <HI>Vapours</HI> bred,</L>
<L>By what e're power, and how engendered;</L>
<L>Since <HI>voyd</HI> to mix in things we entertain.</L>
<L>But if the <HI>Principles</HI> were <HI>&s;oft</HI> again,</L>
<L>How <HI>Flints,</HI> and <HI>Iron</HI> harden, could be found</L>
<L>No cau&s;e, &s;ince <HI>Nature</HI> then would want a ground.</L>
<L><HI>Bodies</HI> then <HI>&s;imply &s;olid,</HI> we &s;uppo&s;e,</L>
<L>Which more <HI>condens'd</HI> can render all things <HI>clo&s;e&punc;</HI></L>
<L>And being thus together more <HI>compact,</HI></L>
<L>Are thence indu'd with greater power to act.</L>
<L>La&s;tly, &s;ince <HI>Nature</HI> to each thing doth give</L>
<L>A <HI>bound</HI> and <HI>tearm,</HI> wherein they grow and live:</L>
<L>Since 'tis decreed what each thing can advance</L>
<L>And do; what not, by the &s;ame <HI>ordinance,</HI></L>
<L>Yet nothing change, but all things &s;till remain,</L>
<L>Hence <HI>Birds</HI> with proper &s;pots their plumage &s;tain</L>
<L>To their own <HI>Family,</HI> from whence we &s;ee</L>
<L><HI>Bodies</HI> unchanged in their <HI>matter</HI> be.</L>
<L>Could <HI>Principles</HI> of things be altered</L>
<L>Or by <HI>corruption</HI> once be vanqui&s;hed,</L>
<L>Then were it al&s;o an uncertain thing</L>
<L>What had the pow'r, and what had not to &s;pring.</L>
<L>How the <HI>activity</HI> of things is bounded,</L>
<L>And how their force with <HI>limits</HI> is &s;urrounded:</L>
<L>Nor would <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;ions</HI> alwaies be inclin'd</L>
<L>To <HI>live, move, feed,</HI> and <HI>do after their kind.</HI></L>
<L>Moreover, each <HI>Bodies</HI> extremity</L>
<L>Being &s;omething which the &s;harpe&s;t &s;ence doth fly,</L>
<L><PB N="49" REF="33">
In &s;uch a <HI>point</HI> of matter doth con&s;i&s;t</L>
<L>Without all <HI>parts,</HI> that it had n'er the lea&s;t</L>
<L><HI>Divi&s;ion;</HI> nor can, &s;ince what we name</L>
<L>The <HI>fir&s;t,</HI> or <HI>la&s;t,</HI> in <HI>bodies,</HI> is the &s;ame:</L>
<L>Hence, <HI>&s;imilar parts</HI> one by another &s;till</L>
<L>Drawn up in order <HI>Bodies</HI> nature fill;</L>
<L>Which &s;ince they cannot of them&s;elves &s;ub&s;i&s;t,</L>
<L>They mu&s;t of force one with another twi&s;t;</L>
<L>Whence no <HI>divorce</HI> is, <HI>then fir&s;t bodies be</HI></L>
<L>Of a mo&s;t pure &s;olid &s;implicitie.</L>
<L>Which Pact in <HI>minute</HI> parts in one combin'd,</L>
<L>Nor by th' acce&s;s of other things conjoyn'd</L>
<L>Are of <HI>eternal</HI> &s;imple purity,</L>
<L><HI>Nature</HI> not &s;uffering them at all to be</L>
<L>Dimini&s;h'd or di&s;&s;olv'd, but doth re&s;erve</L>
<L>Them for a <HI>&s;eed</HI> perpetual to &s;erve.</L>
<L>&V;nle&s;s you grant a lea&s;t, the &s;malle&s;t mite</L>
<L>Of Bodie would admit parts infinite.</L>
<L>For if one part of half doth yet pretend</L>
<L>An half part &s;till, of things would be no end:</L>
<L>Which being &s;o, what difference would there be</L>
<L>Betwixt the <HI>lea&s;t</HI> and <HI>greate&s;t</HI> quantitie?</L>
<L>Were <HI>infinite</HI> the <HI>&s;um</HI> of things, the lea&s;t</L>
<L>Would then of parts as infinite con&s;i&s;t.</L>
<L>Which &s;ince, nor &s;en&s;e, nor judgement doth allow</L>
<L>To think, then vanqui&s;hed, you mu&s;t avow</L>
<L>Such are, as of no parts compounded be,</L>
<L>And the lea&s;t <HI>magnitudes;</HI> then mu&s;t agree</L>
<L>They'r <HI>&s;olid</HI> and <HI>Eternal.</HI> Now &s;uppo&s;e</L>
<L><HI>Nature</HI> from whence all things created ro&s;e,</L>
<L>Did not each thing into lea&s;t peeces take,</L>
<L>She never could <HI>anew</HI> the &s;ame things make:</L>
<L>Since things of many parts made up can not</L>
<L>Admit tho&s;e <HI>qualities</HI> we mu&s;t allot</L>
<L>To <HI>matter</HI> that is <HI>generative;</HI> as thus,</L>
<L><HI>Poize, Concour&s;e, Stroke, Connexion</HI> various,</L>
<L><PB N="51" REF="34">
<HI>Motion</HI> which manage all in <HI>Natures</HI> round.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, admit, there were at all no bound</L>
<L>To <HI>Bodies di&s;&s;olution,</HI> yet 'tis &s;ure</L>
<L>Some <HI>Bodies</HI> from eternity endure:</L>
<L>But &s;ince that a frail nature they retain,</L>
<L>It contradicts they always &s;hould remain</L>
<L>And vexed, mid&s;t &s;o many <HI>&s;troaks</HI> &s;ub&s;i&s;t,</L>
<L>Which them unce&s;&s;antly do thus mole&s;t.</L>
<L>More wide are they from rea&s;on that &s;uppo&s;e</L>
<L><HI>Fire</HI> the fir&s;t matter from whence all things ro&s;e,</L>
<L>And that of <HI>fire</HI> con&s;i&s;ted the whole ma&s;s,</L>
<L>Of the&s;e the Captain <HI>Heraclitus</HI> was.</L>
<L>Cri'd up for's <HI>dark expre&s;&s;ions</HI> by the light</L>
<L>Not &s;ober <HI>Greeks,</HI> &s;uch as in <HI>Truth</HI> delight.</L>
<L>For fools t'admire and love are mo&s;t inclin'd,</L>
<L>What lurking mid&s;t ob&s;cure&s;t terms they find;</L>
<L>And onely hold for truth what accents quaint</L>
<L>Strike the pleas'd ear, and which trim phra&s;e doth paint.</L>
<L>But how things can thus differ, I enquire</L>
<L>If they proceed from <HI>pure</HI> and real <HI>fire,</HI></L>
<L>For it would nought avail <HI>condens'd</HI> or <HI>rare,</HI></L>
<L>If every part of the &s;ame <HI>nature</HI> were</L>
<L>With the whole <HI>fire;</HI> for the united heat</L>
<L>Of <HI>Ignite parts,</HI> would be more fierce and great,</L>
<L>And <HI>it</HI> again would be as much abated</L>
<L>And langui&s;h, if they were once &s;eparated.</L>
<L>But more then this, you nothing can expect</L>
<L>Which &s;hould in the like cau&s;es have effect,</L>
<L>Nor is it <HI>Fire condens'd,</HI> or <HI>rare</HI> which brings</L>
<L>In nature &s;uch variety of things,</L>
<L>Though would they grant, that there a <HI>Vacuum</HI> were,</L>
<L>Then <HI>Fire</HI> indeed might be or <HI>Den&s;e</HI> or <HI>Rare:</HI></L>
<L>But &s;ince who none admit do plainly &s;ee</L>
<L>Them&s;elves gain-&s;aid with contrariety,</L>
<L>And a pure <HI>Emptine&s;s</HI> in things oppo&s;e,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t they the <HI>hard</HI> way fear, the <HI>right</HI> they lo&s;e,</L>
<L><PB N="53" REF="35">
Not &s;eeing how without <HI>vacuitie</HI></L>
<L>All things would <HI>den&s;e,</HI> and but one <HI>Body</HI> be;</L>
<L>Which of it &s;elf could not project aright,</L>
<L>As glowing <HI>Fire</HI> darts forth the &s;moak and light:</L>
<L>So that from hence you clearly may enact,</L>
<L>'Tis not of &s;olid parts alone compact.</L>
<L>If haply &s;ome per&s;wade them&s;elves that <HI>fire</HI></L>
<L>May <HI>&s;hift</HI> its <HI>body,</HI> and i'th' ma&s;s expire,</L>
<L>If once it &s;hould do &s;o, its heat mu&s;t fade</L>
<L>To nought; and all created things be made</L>
<L>Of <HI>nothing; &s;ince what doth its limits pa&s;s</HI></L>
<L>By change, quite peri&s;hes from what it was.</L>
<L>Therefore &s;omething mu&s;t needs intire remain,</L>
<L>Lea&s;t all things el&s;e <HI>annihilate</HI> again.</L>
<L>And this whole heap of things from nothing grow&punc;</L>
<L>Since therefore certain <HI>Bodies</HI> we allow</L>
<L>Of con&s;tant nature, by who&s;e being <HI>near</HI></L>
<L>Or <HI>ab&s;ent (order chang'd</HI>) things chang'd appear</L>
<L>In <HI>Nature</HI> too, and compounds do di&s;&s;olve:</L>
<L>Then <HI>Fi'rie bodies</HI> (we with ea&s;e re&s;olve)</L>
<L>Are not things <HI>Principles;</HI> neither at all</L>
<L>Imports it what <HI>goes out,</HI> or what doth <HI>fall;</HI></L>
<L>What's <HI>joyn'd</HI> to others, or from <HI>order</HI> &s;werve,</L>
<L>If all things did <HI>Fires</HI> nature &s;till pre&s;erve:</L>
<L>For what&s;oever then produced were,</L>
<L>Would be but onely <HI>one continued fire.</HI></L>
<L>But thus I tak't, <HI>Bodies</HI> there be who&s;e right</L>
<L>Encounter, Motion, Order, Figure, Site,</L>
<L>Compo&s;e the <HI>Fire,</HI> which if you &s;hall tran&s;po&s;e,</L>
<L>Will with their <HI>order,</HI> their own <HI>nature</HI> lo&s;e,</L>
<L>Neither re&s;embling <HI>Fire,</HI> nor any &s;uch</L>
<L>As bring their <HI>Bodies</HI> to our &s;en&s;e or touch:</L>
<L>T' affirm then <HI>all things</HI> to be <HI>Fire,</HI> and nought</L>
<L>Real and true, but <HI>Fire,</HI> as this <HI>Man</HI> taught,</L>
<L>Is mo&s;t egregious <HI>folly,</HI> for he goes</L>
<L>The <HI>Sen&s;es</HI> by the <HI>Sen&s;es</HI> to oppo&s;e,</L>
<L><PB N="55" REF="36">
And &s;hakes their proof to whom all <HI>Truths</HI> we owe,</L>
<L>From whom, what he cals <HI>fire,</HI> him&s;elf doth know</L>
<L>Beleeves the <HI>Sence</HI> knows <HI>fire,</HI> but not the <HI>re&s;t,</HI></L>
<L>Though full as <HI>clear,</HI> which &s;eems to me a <HI>je&s;t.</HI></L>
<L>For what thing can there be more &s;ure then Sence,</L>
<L>By which we truth di&s;cern from fal&s;e pretence?</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, why &s;hould one rather all remove,</L>
<L>And <HI>heat</HI> the onely <HI>nature</HI> left approve?</L>
<L>Then <HI>Fire</HI> deny, and all things el&s;e allow,</L>
<L>Both which were equal madne&s;s to avow:</L>
<L>Who ere then takes for <HI>Matter</HI> which frames all</L>
<L>The <HI>Fire,</HI> and that of <HI>Fire</HI> con&s;i&s;ts this <HI>Ball;</HI></L>
<L>Who <HI>Air,</HI> the univer&s;al &s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rce have deem'd,</L>
<L>Or that pure <HI>water,</HI> or <HI>Earth</HI> have e&s;teem'd</L>
<L>Forms <HI>All,</HI> and is into all <HI>Nature</HI> made,</L>
<L>Have all alike at large from <HI>Truth</HI> e&s;trai'd.</L>
<L>Add tho&s;e, who <HI>Principles</HI> of things <HI>combine,</HI></L>
<L>Who <HI>Fire</HI> to <HI>Air,</HI> and <HI>Earth</HI> to <HI>Water</HI> joyn,</L>
<L>And who think <HI>all</HI> of <HI>four things</HI> have their birth;</L>
<L>Spring up of <HI>Air,</HI> of <HI>Heat,</HI> of <HI>Showre</HI> and <HI>Earth:</HI></L>
<L>An <HI>Agrigentine</HI> Citizen 'mong&s;t the&s;e</L>
<L>Is chief and principal, <HI>Empedocles,</HI></L>
<L>Born on the &s;hore of <HI>Sicils</HI> triple-bounds,</L>
<L>Which the <HI>Ionian</HI> in wide bayes &s;urrounds,</L>
<L>Laving its Cliffs with azure waves, who&s;e force</L>
<L>And rapid current <HI>Italie</HI> divorce</L>
<L>By a &s;mal &s;trait; Here's va&s;t <HI>Charybdis</HI> &s;eat,</L>
<L>And here the murmuring <HI>Aetna's</HI> flames do threat</L>
<L>To reinforce once more their dreadful ire,</L>
<L>And vomit yet again devouring fire,</L>
<L>Belching it forth out of his &s;ooty jaws,</L>
<L>Which he at Heaven in lightning fla&s;hes throwes.</L>
<L>Although this <HI>I&s;le</HI> for &s;undry things may &s;eem</L>
<L>Famous, and many <HI>Nations</HI> it e&s;teem</L>
<L>Renown'd for wealth, and many gallant men;</L>
<L>Yet never had it ought more glorious then</L>
<L><PB N="57" REF="37">
This <HI>Per&s;onage,</HI> nought more miraculous,</L>
<L>More holy, or which was more precious.</L>
<L>His <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> divine, and his <HI>Inventions</HI> rare;</L>
<L>The Fruits of that rich brea&s;t, do &s;o declare</L>
<L>An <HI>&V;niver&s;al knowledge,</HI> that &s;ome doubt,</L>
<L>Whether or no, he &s;prung from <HI>humane</HI> root:</L>
<L>Yet <HI>this man,</HI> and the <HI>re&s;t</HI> that mentioned are</L>
<L>Beneath him greatly, his inferiors far;</L>
<L>Though, as if they divinely were in&s;pir'd,</L>
<L>Have &s;undry things &s;o difficult inquir'd,</L>
<L>And as if <HI>Oracles</HI> had from them broken,</L>
<L>More rational, and &s;acred things have &s;poken</L>
<L>Then <HI>Pythia</HI> her&s;elf, who&s;e <HI>voyce</HI> did breath</L>
<L>From <HI>Phoebus Tripod</HI> and the Lawrel wreath;</L>
<L>Yet the&s;e great <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> all receiv'd great falls,</L>
<L>And &s;plit them&s;elves on things <HI>Originals.</HI></L>
<L>Fir&s;t, that they <HI>Motion</HI> without <HI>voyd</HI> avow,</L>
<L>And yet of things do <HI>&s;oft</HI> and <HI>rare</HI> allow;</L>
<L>As <HI>Air, Sun, Fire, Corn, Earth,</HI> the <HI>Animal;</HI></L>
<L>Yet in their bodies mix no <HI>voyd</HI> at all.</L>
<L>Next, that they will at all no limits give</L>
<L>To <HI>Bodies &s;ections,</HI> nor from breaking leave,</L>
<L>Nor yeeld a <HI>lea&s;t</HI> in things, whereas we &s;ee</L>
<L><HI>That</HI> the <HI>extream</HI> and top of all to be,</L>
<L>Which to our <HI>&s;ence</HI> &s;eems <HI>lea&s;t,</HI> from whence we learn</L>
<L>There is a <HI>lea&s;t</HI> in things which none di&s;cern.</L>
<L>Into another <HI>error</HI> here they fall,</L>
<L>Who hold that <HI>&s;oft</HI> is things Original:</L>
<L>Which we perceive from other cau&s;es flow</L>
<L>And into tho&s;e re&s;olve; if this were &s;o,</L>
<L>Each thing to <HI>nought</HI> would turn, and all renew</L>
<L>From <HI>nothing,</HI> which are equally untrue:</L>
<L>For whil&s;t the&s;e are at mortal <HI>jars</HI> together,</L>
<L>It comes to pa&s;s that when they meet each other</L>
<L>They peri&s;h, or el&s;e &s;catter, as in &s;ight</L>
<L><HI>Winds, Lightnings, Showres,</HI> and <HI>Storms</HI> are put to flight.</L>
<L><PB N="59" REF="38">
La&s;tly, if of <HI>four things</HI> compos'd be all,</L>
<L>And in the&s;e four again di&s;&s;olved fall.</L>
<L>Why &s;hould we then <HI>Originals</HI> e&s;teem</L>
<L>Of things; not things <HI>Originals</HI> of them?</L>
<L>Since thus by turns &s;ucce&s;&s;ively they ri&s;e</L>
<L>And change their hue, their nature &s;till di&s;gui&s;e.</L>
<L>But if thou think bodies of <HI>Earth</HI> and <HI>Fire,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Air,</HI> and moi&s;t <HI>dew</HI> together here con&s;pire;</L>
<L>That in this combination <HI>Nature's</HI> &s;aid</L>
<L>To make no <HI>change,</HI> nought from them can be made:</L>
<L>No <HI>living</HI> thing, nor things <HI>inanimate,</HI></L>
<L>As <HI>Trees,</HI> for that it would di&s;cover &s;trait</L>
<L>Their natures in one variant heap, and &s;hew</L>
<L><HI>Air</HI> mixt in one with <HI>Earth,</HI> and <HI>Heat</HI> with <HI>dew.</HI></L>
<L>Bnt <HI>Principles,</HI> in things production crave</L>
<L><HI>Nature occult,</HI> and clande&s;tine to have,</L>
<L>Lea&s;t ought appear by which it be gain-&s;aid,</L>
<L>Things to be <HI>truly</HI> that which they are made,</L>
<L>This too from <HI>Heaven,</HI> and from his <HI>Fires</HI> they bring,</L>
<L>And fir&s;t the <HI>Fire</HI> to <HI>Air</HI> transform'd they &s;ing,</L>
<L>Hence <HI>Rain</HI> &s;ublim'd, and <HI>Earth</HI> condens'd of <HI>Rain:</HI></L>
<L>And &s;o from <HI>Earth</HI> they all retire again,</L>
<L>Fir&s;t <HI>Water,</HI> then the <HI>Air,</HI> and <HI>Fire</HI> in train;</L>
<L>Nor once this cour&s;e to cea&s;e; but too and fro</L>
<L>From <HI>Heaven</HI> to <HI>Earth,</HI> from <HI>Earth</HI> to <HI>Heaven</HI> they go:</L>
<L>Which <HI>Principles</HI> refu&s;e, &s;omewhat mu&s;t &s;tay,</L>
<L>Lea&s;t all to <HI>nothing</HI> vani&s;h quite away.</L>
<L>For what&s;oever once its bounds doth pa&s;s,</L>
<L>Strait peri&s;hes from what before it was.</L>
<L>Since therefore thus they <HI>change,</HI> as is confe&s;t</L>
<L>Before; then mu&s;t it needs be manife&s;t</L>
<L>That they to other <HI>Principles</HI> relate</L>
<L><HI>Immutable:</HI> le&s;t all <HI>annihilate:</HI></L>
<L>Rather &s;uch <HI>Bodies</HI> &s;tate that <HI>fire</HI> &s;hall make</L>
<L>Add &s;ome few things, <HI>away</HI> &s;ome <HI>other</HI> take;</L>
<L><PB N="61" REF="39">
<HI>Order</HI> and <HI>Motion</HI> chang'd, turn to thin <HI>Air,</HI></L>
<L>Thus every thing doth every thing repair.</L>
<L>But you'l <HI>object</HI> all things from <HI>Earth</HI> do &s;pring</L>
<L>Up into th' <HI>Air,</HI> and thence have nouri&s;hing;</L>
<L>And that unle&s;s a proper <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> &s;ends</L>
<L>Indulgent &s;howres, and kindly moi&s;ture lends</L>
<L>Unto the <HI>&s;hrubs;</HI> except the <HI>Sun</HI> them nouri&s;h</L>
<L>And di&s;tribute his heat, no <HI>Grain</HI> can flouri&s;h;</L>
<L>No <HI>Trees,</HI> nor <HI>Animals,</HI> and even <HI>we</HI></L>
<L><HI>Our &s;elves</HI> unle&s;s &s;u&s;tain'd and fed we be</L>
<L>With &s;olid <HI>meats,</HI> and with mild <HI>juyce</HI> to drink,</L>
<L>Our <HI>Bodies</HI> ruin'd, our whole <HI>Life</HI> would &s;hrink</L>
<L>From off our Nerves and Bones; for without doubt</L>
<L><HI>We</HI> are maintain'd and nouri&s;hed throughout</L>
<L>With certain things, as other <HI>Creatures</HI> be</L>
<L>Of certain other: Since there do agree</L>
<L><HI>Cau&s;es</HI> of many things, in many joyn'd,</L>
<L>When <HI>various</HI> things by various nurs'd we find.</L>
<L>And now it would be truly comprehended</L>
<L>How the&s;e <HI>Originals</HI> are oft times <HI>blended;</HI></L>
<L>Their <HI>&s;ite</HI> and <HI>&s;ubject,</HI> and what <HI>motion</HI> they</L>
<L>Do mutually receive and give away:</L>
<L>For they'r the &s;ame which <HI>Heaven</HI> con&s;titutes</L>
<L><HI>Sun, Seas, Earth, Streams, Shrubs, Animals</HI> and <HI>Fruits;</HI></L>
<L>Although with different <HI>motions</HI> mixt they be,</L>
<L>Ju&s;t as each where in the&s;e our <HI>lines</HI> you &s;ee</L>
<L>To divers words are many <HI>Letters</HI> found</L>
<L><HI>Common,</HI> which differ much in <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> and <HI>&s;ound:</HI></L>
<L>Such change <HI>variety</HI> of <HI>Letters</HI> brings:</L>
<L>But <HI>Elements,</HI> which are indeed of things</L>
<L>The <HI>Principles,</HI> are able to induce</L>
<L>Greater, and more <HI>variety</HI> produce.</L>
<L>And now let us a little ca&s;t our eye</L>
<L>On th' <HI>Anaxagoran Homoeomerie,</HI></L>
<L>By <HI>Greeks</HI> &s;o term'd, and which our native &s;peech</L>
<L>Poor in expre&s;&s;ion cannot fully reach,</L>
<L><PB N="63" REF="40">
However yet the thing it &s;elf be found</L>
<L>Facil in words, and ea&s;ie to expound.</L>
<L>The&s;e <HI>Principles,</HI> or <HI>Homoeomerie</HI></L>
<L>By this <HI>Philo&s;opher</HI> &s;o cal'd, imply</L>
<L>That <HI>Bones</HI> of &s;mal and minute <HI>bones</HI> proceed,</L>
<L>That <HI>Intrails</HI> do of little <HI>Intrails</HI> breed,</L>
<L>And <HI>Blood</HI> of <HI>&s;anguine drops,</HI> which meet; likewi&s;e</L>
<L>That <HI>Gold</HI> of little <HI>grains</HI> of <HI>Gold</HI> doth ri&s;e;</L>
<L>And <HI>Earth</HI> her form from &s;mal <HI>Terrella's</HI> takes;</L>
<L>That <HI>sparks</HI> the <HI>Fire,</HI> and <HI>humour Water</HI> makes:</L>
<L>By like proportion fains the re&s;t to be,</L>
<L>And to no place a&s;&s;igns <HI>Vacuitie:</HI></L>
<L>Nor any <HI>term</HI> or end doth he allow</L>
<L>To <HI>Bodies &s;ections,</HI> both of which we know</L>
<L>Extreamly <HI>err,</HI> much like to tho&s;e which we</L>
<L>In that which went before have let you &s;ee.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, if the&s;e his <HI>Principles</HI> he name,</L>
<L>They are too <HI>feeble,</HI> being ju&s;t the &s;ame</L>
<L>Even with tho&s;e things of which they do depend,</L>
<L>Which <HI>fail</HI> together, and together <HI>end</HI></L>
<L>Reciprocally; nor can ought them free</L>
<L>From <HI>ruining:</HI> For what thing can there be</L>
<L>Which may (in &s;uch a <HI>violence</HI> oppre&s;t</L>
<L><HI>Death</HI> to envade) Deaths very <HI>teeth</HI> re&s;i&s;t?</L>
<L>Can <HI>Fire?</HI> or <HI>Water?</HI> can <HI>Air? Blood</HI> or <HI>Bone?</HI></L>
<L>Or any one of the&s;e? I think not one.</L>
<L>Since the whole &s;um of things mu&s;t be as frail</L>
<L>As what we &s;ee before our eyes to fail:</L>
<L>Then I atte&s;t what we before related,</L>
<L>Nought &s;prings of Nought, or is annihilated,</L>
<L>Be&s;ides &s;ince, <HI>Meats</HI> augment the body, and</L>
<L>Do nouri&s;h it, then may we under&s;tand</L>
<L>That <HI>Veins, Blood, Bones,</HI> and likewi&s;e <HI>Sinews</HI> may</L>
<L>Con&s;i&s;t of divers parts; or if they &s;ay</L>
<L>All meats are mixed Bodies and contain</L>
<L>Certain &s;mal Bodies under them again,</L>
<L><PB N="65" REF="41">
As Nerves, Bones, Veins, and particles of blood:</L>
<L>Then of all meats it mu&s;t be under&s;tood</L>
<L>Whether or no they dry or liquid are,</L>
<L>They all con&s;i&s;t of <HI>parts di&s;&s;imilar,</HI></L>
<L>As <HI>Bones, Nerves, Veins,</HI> and <HI>Blood,</HI> likewi&s;e the <HI>Earth</HI></L>
<L>If &s;he contain all which from her have birth,</L>
<L>Then of <HI>&s;trange parts</HI> the <HI>Earth</HI> mu&s;t needs con&s;i&s;t</L>
<L>Which thence ari&s;e, 'tis very manife&s;t.</L>
<L>Change now the <HI>Subject,</HI> keep the <HI>terms</HI> &s;till good,</L>
<L>If <HI>Flame, Smoak, A&s;hes</HI> all do lurk in <HI>Wood,</HI></L>
<L>The wood of divers parts it will imply.</L>
<L>Here is &s;ome &s;lender probability</L>
<L>For <HI>Anaxagoras,</HI> which he a&s;&s;umcs.</L>
<L>Who <HI>all things</HI> thus to lurk in <HI>all</HI> pre&s;umes:</L>
<L>But onely that <HI>appears</HI> which hath mo&s;t <HI>mixt,</HI></L>
<L>And is more obvious in the <HI>front</HI> prefixt,</L>
<L>Which is as far from <HI>Truth;</HI> for then &s;hould <HI>Corn</HI></L>
<L>Beneath the weighty mil&s;tone ground and worn,</L>
<L>Into &s;mal parts, &s;ome &s;tains of <HI>blood</HI> there &s;hed,</L>
<L>Or &s;omething whereof we are nouri&s;hed.</L>
<L>Then &s;hould a &s;tream of <HI>blood</HI> out-flowing gu&s;h,</L>
<L>When we one &s;tone do with another cru&s;h.</L>
<L>By the &s;ame rea&s;on too, <HI>Hearbs</HI> mu&s;t di&s;til,</L>
<L>And ta&s;te like <HI>Milk</HI> which from <HI>Ews</HI> teats doth drill.</L>
<L>Thus &s;tirring up the <HI>Gleab</HI> one oft &s;hould find</L>
<L>Parcels of <HI>hearbs,</HI> and <HI>grain</HI> of every kind,</L>
<L>With &s;cattered <HI>boughs</HI> hid in the ground thus broke:</L>
<L>La&s;tly, in Wood <HI>cleft</HI> one &s;hould &s;py the <HI>Smoak,</HI></L>
<L><HI>A&s;hes,</HI> and &s;parks of <HI>Fire</HI> therein to ne&s;t:</L>
<L>But &s;ince no &s;uch effects are manife&s;t,</L>
<L><HI>Mixtures</HI> of things with things no &s;uch we &s;ee,</L>
<L>But that the <HI>&s;eeds</HI> of many things there be</L>
<L>Diver&s;ly <HI>mixt,</HI> which <HI>latent</HI> are, and ought</L>
<L>To be among&s;t them&s;elves in <HI>common</HI> thought.</L>
<L>But thou affirm&s;t on <HI>Mountains</HI> which a&s;pire,</L>
<L>That tops of <HI>Trees</HI> are oft times &s;et on <HI>fire</HI></L>
<L><PB N="67" REF="42">
Till they do flame again with glowing heat,</L>
<L>When Southern winds them on each other beat:</L>
<L>And bee't &s;o, yet in <HI>wood</HI> by nature breeds</L>
<L>No <HI>fire;</HI> but there of heat are many <HI>&s;eeds,</HI></L>
<L>Which <HI>cla&s;h</HI> together, and the Groves inflame,</L>
<L>Whereas, were &s;o great <HI>Fires</HI> hid in the &s;ame,</L>
<L>They could them not <HI>conceal,</HI> but they would out,</L>
<L>The <HI>Trees</HI> con&s;ume, and burn the &s;hrubs about.</L>
<L>See you not then, (as we ob&s;erv'd even now)</L>
<L>It much imports of the &s;ame &s;eeds to know.</L>
<L>With what, and in what <HI>po&s;ture</HI> being joyn'd,</L>
<L>What <HI>motions</HI> are receiv'd, and what a&s;&s;ign'd:</L>
<L>And how together <HI>changed</HI> they create</L>
<L><HI>Fire</HI> out of <HI>Wood,</HI> ju&s;t as the <HI>words</HI> relate,</L>
<L>The <HI>Letters</HI> but a little <HI>chang'd,</HI> when we</L>
<L><HI>Lignum</HI> and <HI>Ignem</HI> plainly &s;ignifie.</L>
<L>La&s;tly, if in things obvious to our eyes,</L>
<L>You think they cannot be made otherwi&s;e,</L>
<L>Except you &s;hall a <HI>&s;imilar matter</HI> find</L>
<L>For every <HI>bodie</HI> in its &s;everal kind;</L>
<L>Then, by this means the <HI>Principles</HI> of all</L>
<L>Are quite de&s;troy'd, &s;o that it mu&s;t befall</L>
<L>They might into exce&s;&s;ive <HI>laughter</HI> break,</L>
<L>Or <HI>wet</HI> with briny <HI>tears</HI> the face and cheek.</L>
<L>Now give good heed, and well ob&s;erve the re&s;t,</L>
<L>I know it mo&s;t ob&s;ure, but my warm bre&s;t,</L>
<L>Brave hope of <HI>prai&s;e,</HI> hath pierced with his dart,</L>
<L>And rais'd <HI>Po&euml;tique fervour</HI> in my heart:</L>
<L>By which in&s;tinct, where <HI>foot</HI> did never tread,</L>
<L>My fancy through <HI>unhaunted coa&s;ts</HI> is led.</L>
<L><HI>Plea&s;ant</HI> it is, pure &s;treams in unknown bowres</L>
<L>To drink; it plea&s;ant is to cull fre&s;h flowres,</L>
<L>Whence a fair <HI>Wreath</HI> be for mine own <HI>head</HI> made,</L>
<L>With &s;uch the <HI>Mu&s;es</HI> never brow did &s;hade.</L>
<L>Fir&s;t then, I teach great things, and &s;o the <HI>mind</HI></L>
<L>From <HI>&s;uper&s;titions</HI> pre&s;&s;ing chains unbind.</L>
<L><PB N="69" REF="43">
Next, that <HI>dark things</HI> in &s;uch <HI>clear ver&s;e</HI> I write,</L>
<L>And &s;ea&s;on't with <HI>Po&euml;tical</HI> delight,</L>
<L>In this too I my due de&s;ign &s;hall drive;</L>
<L>For as who <HI>children</HI> bitter <HI>Wormwood</HI> give,</L>
<L>For healths &s;ake, do the <HI>Cup</HI> fir&s;t round the lip</L>
<L>With the &s;weet yellow dew of <HI>honey</HI> tip,</L>
<L>That &s;o the &s;illy <HI>child</HI> allur'd by th' ta&s;te,</L>
<L><HI>Off</HI> with the bitter wormwood <HI>Potion</HI> ha&s;te,</L>
<L>And unadvis'd, may with a harmle&s;s cheat</L>
<L>To perfect health be brought by this deceit.</L>
<L>So now, &s;ince this <HI>di&s;cour&s;e</HI> perhaps may &s;how</L>
<L><HI>Har&s;h</HI> unto &s;ome, who &s;carcely of it know</L>
<L>As yet; &s;ince &s;o <HI>uncouth</HI> to th' <HI>Vulgar,</HI> I</L>
<L>My <HI>rea&s;ons</HI> do intend to &s;ignifie</L>
<L>In &s;oft <HI>Pi&euml;rian ver&s;e,</HI> who&s;e &s;weet appa&s;t</L>
<L>May recommend our <HI>Mu&s;e</HI> unto thy ta&s;t,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t thou the <HI>nature</HI> of all things do&s;t &s;ee</L>
<L>Deck't with &s;uch <HI>beauty</HI> and variety.</L>
<L>But &s;ince I taught that <HI>Bodies</HI> mo&s;t <HI>compact,</HI></L>
<L>Unvanqui&s;hed perpetually do <HI>act&punc;</HI></L>
<L>Whether their <HI>&s;um</HI> defined be or no;</L>
<L><HI>Voyd</HI> too, be't <HI>&s;pace,</HI> or <HI>place</HI> where all things go,</L>
<L>Let's &s;earch if it admit of any <HI>Bound,</HI></L>
<L>Or &s;tretch immen&s;ely to a va&s;te profound.</L>
<L>Then &s;ure this <HI>All</HI> can no way <HI>finite</HI> be,</L>
<L>For then it mu&s;t have &s;ome extremity</L>
<L>Now nought hath an <HI>extream,</HI> unle&s;s beyond</L>
<L>Some other thing be, which &s;hould give it bound.</L>
<L>So that one may di&s;cern the utmo&s;t <HI>&s;pace,</HI></L>
<L>Then which no further it our <HI>&s;ence</HI> can trace.</L>
<L>Since then beyond the <HI>whole</HI> we needs mu&s;t grant</L>
<L><HI>Nothing</HI> remains, it <HI>Term</HI> and <HI>Bound</HI> mu&s;t want.</L>
<L>Nor ought imports it on what <HI>clime</HI> one &s;tands,</L>
<L>Since <HI>infinite</HI> its equal-&s;elf expands</L>
<L>Throughout; Be&s;ides, were all which now is <HI>&s;pace,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Finite,</HI> &s;uppo&s;e one running to the <HI>Place</HI></L>
<L><PB N="71" REF="44">
Where that <HI>extream</HI> were, &s;hould throw forth a <HI>Dart,</HI></L>
<L>Think you t'would fly directly to that part</L>
<L>The &s;trong arme aim'd it at, and pa&s;s out-right,</L>
<L>Or would &s;omething oppo&s;e it in the flight?</L>
<L>For <HI>one</HI> of them you mu&s;t at lea&s;t confe&s;s,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t <HI>either</HI> doth your <HI>Argument</HI> di&s;tre&s;s,</L>
<L>So that no end to <HI>All</HI> you mu&s;t concede;</L>
<L>For were there ought which did the <HI>dart</HI> impede,</L>
<L>That whither it were &s;ent it could not tend,</L>
<L>Or flew beyond, then that were not the <HI>end.</HI></L>
<L>Then thus I urge, where ere you fix the <HI>bound,</HI></L>
<L>I ask ye where the <HI>Weapon</HI> may be found;</L>
<L>But 'twill fall out, an <HI>end</HI> will no where be,</L>
<L>The <HI>Voyd</HI> affording <HI>room</HI> eternally</L>
<L>For flight. Be&s;ides, if this <HI>All</HI> every where</L>
<L>With <HI>Bounds</HI> impaled be, and <HI>finite</HI> were;</L>
<L>Then would the &s;tore of <HI>Matter</HI> on each &s;ide</L>
<L>Beneath through poy&s;e of &s;olids downwards &s;lide;</L>
<L>Nor could there ought under heavens <HI>cope</HI> be done,</L>
<L>Nor would there be a <HI>Skie,</HI> or glittering <HI>Sun,</HI></L>
<L>Becau&s;e all <HI>matter</HI> mu&s;t in one <HI>heap</HI> lye</L>
<L>Pro&s;trate, and &s;unk from all <HI>Eternity.</HI></L>
<L>But now have <HI>Principles</HI> no re&s;t at all,</L>
<L>Since there's no <HI>bottom</HI> into which they fall,</L>
<L>Or flowing tend, and make a fixt repo&s;e;</L>
<L>But each thing by a&s;&s;iduous <HI>motion</HI> goes</L>
<L>Through all parts, and th' <HI>Eternal Bodies</HI> be</L>
<L>(Thus mov'd) &s;upplied from <HI>infinitie.</HI></L>
<L>La&s;tly, that one thing th' other <HI>bounds</HI> 'tis plain,</L>
<L>For <HI>Air</HI> inve&s;ts the <HI>Hills, Hills Air</HI> again;</L>
<L>And <HI>Earth</HI> the <HI>Seas;</HI> the <HI>Sea</HI> the <HI>Earth</HI> embraces;</L>
<L>But nought <HI>beyond</HI> the <HI>whole</HI> it's limit places.</L>
<L>Then is the <HI>space</HI> of <HI>place</HI> thus deep and wide,</L>
<L>For el&s;e the famous <HI>Rivers</HI> could not glide</L>
<L>With everla&s;ting cour&s;e, nor ever gain</L>
<L>That near their journeys end they &s;hould attain:</L>
<L><PB N="73" REF="45">
So that <HI>throughout</HI> va&s;te compa&s;s does extend</L>
<L>Into all parts, leaving for things no <HI>end.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Nature</HI> her &s;elf &s;eems this to have de&s;ign'd,</L>
<L>That the whole <HI>ma&s;s</HI> of things be not confin'd.</L>
<L>Becau&s;e &s;he <HI>Bodies</HI> both in <HI>voyd</HI> includes,</L>
<L>And into <HI>Bodies voyd</HI> again intrudes</L>
<L><HI>Alternatly;</HI> &s;o that with <HI>one</HI> and <HI>other,</HI></L>
<L>She renders all things <HI>infinite</HI> together.</L>
<L>For unle&s;s <HI>both</HI> of them conteined were</L>
<L><HI>Reciprocally,</HI> then would each appear</L>
<L>In their own nature <HI>Boundle&s;s, Seas,</HI> nor <HI>Earth,</HI></L>
<L>Nor <HI>bright cele&s;tial Man&s;ions mortal birth;</HI></L>
<L>Nor <HI>&s;acred Bodies</HI> of the <HI>Gods</HI> &s;o pure</L>
<L>Could the lea&s;t portion of time indure:</L>
<L>For this va&s;t <HI>matter</HI> being once become</L>
<L><HI>Di&s;&s;olv'd,</HI> had <HI>&s;attered</HI> through this <HI>Vacuum.</HI></L>
<L>Rather it nothing could have ere <HI>created,</HI></L>
<L>Becau&s;e it nere could <HI>joyn,</HI> being <HI>di&s;&s;ipated.</HI></L>
<L>For let's not think the&s;e <HI>Principles</HI> did range</L>
<L>Them&s;elves in <HI>order,</HI> and by <HI>Coun&s;el</HI> change;</L>
<L>That each particular <HI>motion</HI> was <HI>decreed</HI></L>
<L>Before by <HI>Compact:</HI> But 'twas thus indeed,</L>
<L>That pa&s;&s;ing frequent changes, and in tho&s;e</L>
<L>Induring as it were <HI>eternal blows,</HI></L>
<L>After all Trials, did in fine quie&s;ce</L>
<L>In the &s;ame po&s;ture which they now po&s;&s;e&s;s.</L>
<L>Whence the whole <HI>&s;um</HI> of al things el&s;e are made,</L>
<L>And keeping in due <HI>motion</HI> do not fade,</L>
<L>Nor are at all impeacht, for many years</L>
<L>This <HI>ma&s;s</HI> pre&s;erv'd in its fit po&s;ture &s;teers</L>
<L>The cour&s;e of <HI>Rivers,</HI> and doth cau&s;e they keep</L>
<L>With pregnant waves <HI>intire</HI> the greedy deep.</L>
<L>That the <HI>Sun-quickned-Earth</HI> renews her fruits:</L>
<L>That <HI>Animals</HI> bring forth, and new recruits</L>
<L>Cheri&s;h <HI>Etherial Fires,</HI> which in no wi&s;e</L>
<L>Could be, unle&s;s abundant <HI>matter</HI> ri&s;e</L>
<L><PB N="75" REF="46">
From <HI>infinite,</HI> whence all that <HI>lo&s;t</HI> have been</L>
<L>Are wont in time to be repair'd again.</L>
<L>For as in <HI>Animals</HI> of nouri&s;hment</L>
<L>Depriv'd, <HI>Bodies</HI> are lo&s;t, and <HI>Natures</HI> &s;pent:</L>
<L>So <HI>all things</HI> mu&s;t di&s;&s;olve, when <HI>Matter</HI> flies,</L>
<L>Or deviating, fails of due &s;upplies.</L>
<L>Nor could <HI>encounters</HI> in the <HI>ma&s;&s;e</HI> each where</L>
<L>United keep all that conge&s;ted were.</L>
<L><HI>Strike</HI> they indeed might often, and thereby</L>
<L>Retard <HI>a part,</HI> till they the <HI>whole</HI> &s;upply:</L>
<L>Others again <HI>rebound,</HI> and are compell'd</L>
<L>A <HI>&s;pace</HI> for <HI>Principles</HI> of things to yeeld,</L>
<L>And <HI>Time</HI> to &s;lip away, that they might be</L>
<L>Thus <HI>di&s;united,</HI> &s;et at liberty.</L>
<L>Therefore there is extream nece&s;&s;ity</L>
<L>That &s;till of things &s;pring up vairety:</L>
<L>And that there &s;hould be infinite &s;upplies</L>
<L>Of <HI>matter,</HI> which may for tho&s;e <HI>&s;troaks</HI> &s;uffi&s;e.</L>
<L>To the&s;e things <HI>Memmius</HI> then no <HI>credit</HI> lend,</L>
<L>When they &s;ay all things to the <HI>Center</HI> tend:</L>
<L>And for this rea&s;on that the World alone</L>
<L>Sub&s;i&s;ts unpropt by outward <HI>motion:</HI></L>
<L>And that nor <HI>ba&s;e</HI> nor <HI>&s;uperficies</HI> be</L>
<L>Re&s;olv'd, &s;ince <HI>all things</HI> to the <HI>middle</HI> flee.</L>
<L>Should you &s;uppo&s;e ought on it <HI>&s;elf</HI> can re&s;t,</L>
<L>And all tho&s;e <HI>weights</HI> beneath be upwards pre&s;t,</L>
<L>That they may on this <HI>Hemi&s;phear</HI> repo&s;e,</L>
<L>Whence they maintain that as calm <HI>Water</HI> &s;hows</L>
<L><HI>Shadows,</HI> and <HI>Images</HI> of things, that &s;o</L>
<L>Beneath our <HI>feet</HI> &s;ome <HI>Animals</HI> do go,</L>
<L>Which on th' inferiour <HI>Regions</HI> of the <HI>Skie</HI></L>
<L>Can no more <HI>fall,</HI> then may our <HI>Bodies</HI> flye</L>
<L>Up to <HI>Cele&s;tial Thrones,</HI> that they &s;ee light</L>
<L>Of <HI>Sun,</HI> when we enjoy the Stars of <HI>night,</HI></L>
<L>And th' <HI>Annual &s;ea&s;ons</HI> interchang'd, always</L>
<L>Divide with us, and have <HI>nights</HI> for our <HI>daies:</HI></L>
<L><PB N="77" REF="47">
But &s;ome fond <HI>error</HI> fir&s;t the&s;e things devis'd,</L>
<L>'Mong&s;t <HI>&s;illy men;</HI> for that they ne're compriz'd</L>
<L>The pure <HI>Originals</HI> of things aright;</L>
<L>For &s;ince that <HI>voyd</HI> and <HI>place</HI> are <HI>infinite,</HI></L>
<L>Nothing can <HI>Center</HI> be, or if there were</L>
<L>A <HI>Medium,</HI> yet no rea&s;on doth appear</L>
<L>To prove that it &s;hould but in one <HI>place</HI> dwel,</L>
<L>And in <HI>another</HI> not be found as well.</L>
<L>For every <HI>place</HI> and <HI>&s;pace</HI> we <HI>empty</HI> call,</L>
<L>Bee't <HI>Medium</HI> or no, it mu&s;t yeeld all</L>
<L>Alike to <HI>pond'rou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> even where&s;oe're</L>
<L>Its <HI>motion</HI> drives; nor any place is there</L>
<L>Whither, when <HI>heavy bodies</HI> are arriv'd,</L>
<L>They can in <HI>Vacuum</HI> &s;tand of <HI>weight</HI> depriv'd.</L>
<L>Nor may the <HI>Voyd</HI> to <HI>Bodies</HI> yeeld a <HI>Ba&s;e;</HI></L>
<L>But, as its <HI>Nature</HI> is, mu&s;t &s;till <HI>give place.</HI></L>
<L>Things therefore cannot in &s;uch &s;ort be joyn'd,</L>
<L>As to the middle by <HI>de&s;ire</HI> inclin'd.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides 'tis clear, becau&s;e they do not fain,</L>
<L>As if all <HI>bodies</HI> would the <HI>Center</HI> gain:</L>
<L>But &s;uch alone as the mo&s;t <HI>Earthy</HI> be,</L>
<L>And <HI>liquid,</HI> like the waters of the <HI>Sea,</HI></L>
<L>And <HI>Cataracts</HI> which from &s;teep mountains fall,</L>
<L>And what of <HI>Bodies</HI> is <HI>terre&s;trial.</HI></L>
<L>Again&s;t this they oppo&s;e, that the hot <HI>fire,</HI></L>
<L>And <HI>Airs</HI> thin breath from the <HI>mid&s;t</HI> both retire:</L>
<L>That thence the <HI>Orbs</HI> revolve their trembling light,</L>
<L>And <HI>Sols</HI> bright flame fre&s;h nouri&s;hments invite</L>
<L>In azure <HI>Sphears,</HI> 'cau&s;e heat the <HI>Center</HI> flyes,</L>
<L>And joyns to <HI>exhalations</HI> which ari&s;e.</L>
<L>But each thing mortal <HI>food</HI> from <HI>earth</HI> receives:</L>
<L>Nor could top <HI>branches</HI> of the <HI>Trees</HI> &s;hoot leaves,</L>
<L>Unle&s;s in&s;en&s;ibly the <HI>Earth</HI> them fed:</L>
<L>For el&s;e, like ha&s;ty <HI>flames</HI> already fled;</L>
<L>The <HI>Worlds</HI> bright wals would vani&s;h &s;uddenly</L>
<L>Through the va&s;t <HI>Voyd</HI> di&s;&s;olv'd, the re&s;t would be</L>
<L><PB N="79" REF="48">
After the &s;ame &s;ort <HI>hurried,</HI> that from high</L>
<L>Would drop the thundring <HI>Turrets</HI> of the <HI>Skie:</HI></L>
<L>And under foot the &s;inking <HI>earth</HI> to bend,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t the &s;ame ruin <HI>Earth</HI> with <HI>Heaven</HI> would blend,</L>
<L>Cru&s;hing all <HI>Bodies</HI> with di&s;order'd <HI>force,</HI></L>
<L>Through the <HI>profound Aby&s;s</HI> to &s;teer their <HI>cour&s;e,</HI></L>
<L>So that one <HI>Moment</HI> would no <HI>relique</HI> leave,</L>
<L>Save <HI>Elements,</HI> which no eye could perceive;</L>
<L>And <HI>De&s;ert &s;pace,</HI> for from what <HI>part</HI> &s;oe're</L>
<L>You would that <HI>Bodies</HI> fir&s;t <HI>receding</HI> were,</L>
<L>That <HI>part</HI> an open &s;luce of <HI>death</HI> mu&s;t prove,</L>
<L>Where <HI>Matter</HI> i&s;&s;uing forth would <HI>downwards</HI> move.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>If then by this &s;light work, thou knowledge gain,</L>
<L>(For one thing will the other much explain)</L>
<L>Thou can&s;t not err, but &s;halt perceive aright</L>
<L>Natures <HI>extreams:</HI> So Things to Things give light.</L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>The end of the Fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="stationer to the reader">
<PB N="80" REF="49">
<HEAD>The Stationer to the Reader.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Mu&s;t acknowledge ingenuou&s;ly, That
the&s;e <HI>Animadver&s;ions</HI> following, were
&s;ome &s;cattered <HI>Collections</HI> encountred
at the end of this <HI>Copy,</HI> which it was the <HI>Au|thors</HI>
expre&s;s de&s;ires I &s;hould totally &s;up|pre&s;s;
as being con&s;cious how ju&s;tly they might
importune the <HI>Learned,</HI> to whom (he told me)
they were &s;o little con&s;iderable: But to ad|vance
our particular <HI>Intere&s;t,</HI> and gratifie
the <HI>Printer</HI> (who objected the <HI>Volume</HI> was
too &s;mal of it &s;elf) I have adventured to
publi&s;h this Addition: and (&s;ince I cannot
but beleeve it will plea&s;e &s;ome) &s;hall beg par|don
both of the <HI>Writer</HI> and <HI>Reader,</HI> for this
pre&s;umption of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>their Mo&s;t humble Servant
G. BEDEL.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<PB N="97" REF="49">
<HEAD>ANIMADVERSIONS
UPON THE
FISRT BOOK
OF
T. L&V;CRETI&V;S CAR&V;S
DE
RERUM NATURA.</HEAD>
<Q><LG>
<L>Aeneadum genitrix, hominum Div&ucirc;m&abque; voluptas,</L>
<L>Alma Venus,&mdash;&amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Romes parent <HI>Venus,</HI> joy of Gods above;</L>
<L>And men,&mdash;&amp;c.</L>
</LG></Q>
<P>_THe renowned Prince of <HI>Troy, Aeneas,</HI>
feigned to be the Son of <HI>Anchi&s;es,</HI> and
the Godde&s;s <HI>Venus,</HI> e&s;pou&s;ed to his
fir&s;t wife <HI>Creu&s;a,</HI> daughter of King
<HI>Priamus,</HI> after the &s;ack of that City,
with twenty &s;hips he wandred into
<HI>Italy,</HI> and carried along with him his
Son <HI>A&s;canius,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dyoni&s;. Hali.</NOTE> named al&s;o <HI>Julus,</HI> where
in ad Nuptials, he married <HI>Lavinia,</HI> relict of the van|qui&s;hed
<HI>Turnus</HI> King of the <HI>Latines,</HI> whom he &s;ucceeded.
Now after the <HI>Apotheo&s;is</HI> of <HI>Aeneas, A&s;canius</HI> his &s;ucce&s;&s;or
<PB N="98" REF="50">
left a &s;on called <HI>Julus Sylvius,</HI> of whom linealy de&s;cend|ed
the great <HI>Julius Cae&s;ar,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Virg. Aen. 1.</NOTE> who for this cau&s;e, as is re|ported,
dedicated a Temple, <HI>Veneri Genetrici.</HI> Thus
the <HI>Godde&s;s,</HI> becomes Patrone&s;s of the Family of the
Emperors, and &s;o by a figure, of the Imperial <HI>City,</HI> ac|cording
to that of the <HI>Poet,</HI></P>
<Q><LG>
<L>&mdash;Genus unde Latinum</L>
<L>Albani&abque;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Virg. Aen. 10.</NOTE> patres, at&abque; altae moenia Romae</L>
<L>&mdash;Whence Latines come</L>
<L>Great <HI>Albans</HI> Ance&s;tors, and towring Rome.</L>
</LG></Q>
<P>But as <HI>Ven<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> is here invocated by our <HI>Carus</HI> (otherwi&s;e
no great friend to Gods or Godde&s;&s;es) either it is be|cau&s;e
it was the cu&s;tom of Poets in all Heroical works
of this nature to implore the Divine aid: or more pro|bably,
for that <HI>Venus</HI> was feigned to pre&s;ide in <HI>Gardens;</HI>
whence, according to <HI>Varro,</HI> &s;he was frequently &s;tiled
<HI>horten&s;is,</HI> and wherein our <HI>Lucretius</HI> his Ma&s;ter <HI>Epicurus</HI>
&s;pent &s;o much of his time, was &s;o delighted, and fir&s;t
delivered his &s;o celebrated In&s;titution. But to approach
the de&s;ign of our Poet, by <HI>Venus,</HI> we are to under&s;tand
that in&s;eparable appetite and inclination to propagate
and engender; which (&s;aith <HI>Cicero</HI>) is by Nature dif|fu&s;ed
into all living <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">reatures; for &s;o the Etymologi&s;ts
<HI>Venus &agrave; Venire,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cic. de Nat. Deor. l. 2.</NOTE> becau&s;e of her univer&s;al acce&s;s. The old
Poets have derived her original from the Genitors of
<HI>Coelus</HI> ca&s;t into the &s;ea; whence mixing with the <GAP DESC="foreign">,
or &s;cum of its waters, the <HI>Greeks</HI> named her <HI>Aprodite.
Cicero</HI> in his book <HI>of the Nature of Gods,</HI> makes men|tion
of no fewer then four of this name; but
for that the Poets chiefly celebrate onely the &s;e|cond,
to whom they u&s;ually attribute all the actions
of the re&s;t, we &s;hall purpo&s;ely omit them. This
was &s;he on whom <HI>Mercury</HI> begat <HI>Cupid.</HI> It is &s;aid,
that this Godde&s;s being conceived in a great <HI>Concha,</HI> or
&s;hell of <HI>mother of Pearl,</HI> floated therein by the propiti|ous
aid of <HI>Zephyrus</HI> (mentioned al&s;o within few lines of
the beginning of this Poem by the name of <HI>Favonius,</HI>
a wind which &s;pireth from the occidental point of the
<HI>Aequinox,</HI> e&s;pecially in the &s;pring, as being mo&s;t gene|rative)
to the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> where &s;he fortun'd to be
taken up by certain <HI>Nymphs</HI> of that Coa&s;t. <HI>Plato</HI> in his
<HI>Banquet</HI> reckons up two more; the one very ancient,
daughter of the Heavens, <HI>&V;rania,</HI> or <HI>Coele&s;tis;</HI> inti|mating
the brightne&s;s and re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ulgency of the Divinity,
<PB N="99" REF="50">
together with a mo&s;t &s;ecret affection which &s;he pro|duceth,
endeavoring to attract our &s;ouls, and unite
them to the E&s;&s;ence of God. But the &s;econd and yonger,
daughter of <HI>Jupiter</HI> and <HI>Dione,</HI> whom he names <HI>Pandemia,</HI>
popular, carnal and voluptuous, comes neerer to the
in&s;tance of our Poet in this place. For <HI>Pau&s;anias</HI> in his
<HI>Mi&s;en:</HI> and <HI>Plutarch</HI> in his Problem's, make her with
<HI>Jupiter, Juno, Suadela</HI> and <HI>Diana</HI> to pre&s;ide at Marriages.
In &s;ine, this is the Lady that became &s;o de&s;perately in|amour'd
with <HI>Anchi&s;es,</HI> by whom &s;he had <HI>Aeneas,</HI> nor
le&s;s it &s;eems with <HI>Mars</HI> him&s;elf; for therefore doth our
Poet implore her interce&s;&s;ion with that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">urious God.</P>
<LG>
<L>Nam tu &s;ola potes tranquilla pace juvare</L>
<L>Mortalis: quoniam belli fera moenera Mavors;</L>
<L>Armipotens regit: in gremium qui &s;aepe tuum &s;e</L>
<L>Reficit aeterno devinctus volnere amoris.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>To Mortals Thou alone can&s;t re&s;t afford,</L>
<L>Since Mars, who is of direful Wars the Lord,</L>
<L>On thy fair bo&s;om re&s;ting oft his head,</L>
<L>With la&s;ting wounds of Love is vanqui&s;hed.</L>
</LG>
<P>And even immerged in her luxurious embracements,
in which plight he could refu&s;e his <HI>Mi&s;tris</HI> nothing; &s;uch
charms and pui&s;&s;ant attracts had love, even over the
<HI>Gods</HI> them&s;elves. But to re&s;olve the <HI>Mythologie</HI> to the
purpo&s;e of out Author; we under&s;tand by <HI>Venus</HI> here,
that univer&s;al Appetite of procreating its like, which
inclination for receiving its birth together with the
world it &s;elf, cau&s;ed her to be feigned of &s;o near rela|tion
to <HI>Coelum</HI> whence tho&s;e who have affirmed that the
humane &s;oul de&s;cended from Heaven into our bodies,
and that again it pa&s;&s;ed from one <HI>Orb</HI> to another, extract
out of each <HI>Sphere,</HI> divers particular affections: as that
the Soul hath from <HI>Venus</HI> (be&s;ides many others) all her
<HI>c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ncupi&s;cible appetites, &amp;c.</HI> She is affirmed to be born of
the <HI>Sea,</HI> not onely to repre&s;ent the continual e&s;tuations
of di&s;orderly livers, and la&s;civious per&s;ons; but ra|ther
for that the &s;alacious liquor aideth greatly to the
generative vertue, inciting the inclinations, by its acri|monious
mordacity. La&s;tly, &s;he is &s;uppo&s;ed inamour'd
with <HI>Adonis,</HI> who is taken for the <HI>Sun,</HI> becau&s;e her em|bracements
prove ineffectual, without the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of a
generative and fermenting heat: for which cau&s;e were
<PB N="100" REF="51">
ro&s;es, myrre, &amp;c. &s;acred to her, as allectives, and in|centives
of plea&s;ure,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Or rather God, who gives be|ing to all things: for Deus ip&s;a natu|ra e&s;t: Lac. l. 2. c. 8. The Schools di&s;tingui&s;h inter Na<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">uram natarantem, &amp; na|turam
naturatam, &amp;c.</NOTE> yet not without their punctures,
blu&s;hes and fading, for &s;uch is the nature and clo&s;e of
all &s;en&s;ual commerce and delights what&s;oever. And
thus much of <HI>Venus,</HI> or rather <HI>Nature</HI> it &s;elf, which for
giving Title to our Poets pre&s;ent works, we did pur|po&s;ely
illu&s;trate: But let us hear how <HI>Statius</HI> de&s;cribes
the Godde&s;s <HI>Tellus</HI> in imitation of our <HI>Author.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;O hominum div<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ini&abque; aeterna creatrix<NOTE PLACE="marg">The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">aid. lib. 8.</NOTE></L>
<L>Quae fluvios, &s;ylva&s;&abque; anima&s;que, &amp; &s;emina mundi</L>
<L>Cuncta, promethaea&s;&abque; manus, Pyrrhaeaque Saxa</L>
<L>Gignis, &amp; impa&s;tis quae prima alimenta dedi&s;ti,</L>
<L>Muta&s;ti&abque; viros, quae pontum ambi&s;q, vehi&s;&abque;</L>
<L>Te penes &amp; pecudum gens mitis, &amp; ira ferarum,</L>
<L>E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> volucrum re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ies; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">irmum at&abque; immobile mundi</L>
<L>Robur inoccidui: te velox machina Coeli</L>
<L>Aere pendentem vacuo, te currus uterque</L>
<L>Circuit, O rerum media, indivi&s;a&abque; magnis</L>
<L>Fratribus; ergo &s;imul tot gentibus alma, tot altis</L>
<L>&V;rbibus, ac populis, &s;ubter&abque; ac de&s;uper una</L>
<L>Sufficis&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Eternal &s;ource, whence Gods and men proceed,</L>
<L>Who S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ereams, Woods, Souls, the univer&s;al &s;eed,</L>
<L>Promethean clay, and Pyrrhan &s;tones indu'&s;t</L>
<L>With life, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ed'&s;t Babe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, and humane &s;hapes renew'&s;t:</L>
<L>Do&s;t the va&s;t Sea encompa&s;s and &s;u&s;tain,</L>
<L>Do&s;t o're wilde Bea&s;ts, and Milder Cattel reign</L>
<L>And roo&s;ts of Birds, the firm and &s;table world:</L>
<L>The heavens &s;wift Orbs with rapid motion hurl'd</L>
<L>Thee (Stretching in the empty air thy wings)</L>
<L>With Sun and Moon daunce round: O m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d&s;t of things</L>
<L>Among&s;t the mighty brothers thou do&s;t &s;tand</L>
<L>Un&s;har'd, and feed'&s;t all Nations with thy hand&punc;</L>
<L>On thy broad back, and on thy equal che&s;t,</L>
<L>So many Towers, and high-built Cities re&s;t, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Thus having invocated his <HI>Godde&s;s,</HI> in the next he de|precates
the War; during which, neither could <HI>Poets</HI>
well write, nor <HI>Patrons</HI> have lei&s;ure to read: for much
about this time hapned tho&s;e unfortunate broils, and
<PB N="101" REF="51">
furious commotions, wherein <HI>Claudius</HI> was &s;lain by
<HI>Milo,</HI> the <HI>Gaules</HI> divided by <HI>Cae&s;ar,</HI> and the whole Em|pire
it &s;elf almo&s;t out of frame by the Con&s;piracies of
<HI>Cateline,</HI> and his bloody Complices, during all which
&s;tirs and publique di&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">lers</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Neque nos agere hoc patriai tempore iniqu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"></L>
<L>Po&s;&s;umus aequo animo: nec Memmi clara propago</L>
<L>Talibus in rebus, communi dee&s;&s;e &s;aluti.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For whil&s;t our Countrey thus afflicted lies</L>
<L>With what con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> can we Philo&s;ophi&s;e?</L>
<L>Nor may brave <HI>Memini<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> then wanting be</L>
<L>To th'publique peace in &s;uch perplexi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">y.</L>
</LG>
<P>For <HI>Memmius</HI> he knew, as a Loyal <HI>Cavalier,</HI> could not
but be engaged, and it was this illu&s;trous per&s;on to whom
our <HI>Lucretius</HI> nuncupates his pre&s;ent work; concerning
who&s;e extraction (&s;ince a Name &s;o frequently mention|ed
throughout this Author) divers curious in <HI>Antiqui|ties</HI>
have taken the pains to deliver his Pedegree, which
&s;ome of them have out of his almo&s;t contemporary <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">e,</HI>
not blu&s;hed to derive even from the <HI>Trojans</HI> them&s;elves,</P>
<LG>
<L>Mox Italus Mne&s;iheus, genus &agrave; quo nomine Memmi.</L>
</LG>
<P>Certain it is, he &s;prung from a very ancient &s;tock.
<HI>C. Memmius</HI> recorded by <HI>Livy,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Livius, l. 41.</NOTE> being created <HI>Praetor</HI> a|bout
the time of the war with <HI>Per&s;es</HI> King of <HI>Macedonia,</HI>
obtained the Province of <HI>Sardinia,</HI> and was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">nve&s;ted
with many other dignities, as <HI>Quae&s;tor, Aedile,</HI> &amp;c. after
which he was removed to the Praetory of <HI>Sicili:</HI> And
of this <HI>Memmius</HI> were two &s;ons, <HI>C.</HI> and <HI>L. Memmius,</HI> &s;o
celebrated for their learning and eloquence by the father
of Orators. <HI>C. L. Memmii</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Cicero</HI>) <HI>fuerunt Oratores
mediocres,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cic. in Brut.</NOTE> <HI>accu&s;atores acres, atque acerbi, &amp;c. Cajus</HI> (as
<HI>Oro&s;ius</HI> writes) when for his integrity and parts, he &s;tood
to be Con&s;ul,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cic. in. Catil. Ap|pian. l, 1. <GAP DESC="foreign"> in libello de viris Il|lust. Rom.</NOTE> was by one <HI>Saturnus</HI> a Tribune of the
Commons (who feared his Vertues) barbarou&s;ly murder|ed
<HI>in Campo Martio.</HI> There was al&s;o another <HI>Memmius</HI> of
the &s;ame family, &s;uppo&s;ed Brother or Cou&s;in-German to
the former, by marriage allied to <HI>Pompeius,</HI> with whom
he went into <HI>Spain</HI> in the Expedition <HI>contra Sertorium,</HI>
where he valiantly lo&s;t his life in the Service, as <HI>Cicero
pro Balbo, Plut. Oro&s;ius</HI> and others report. But to come
<PB N="102" REF="52">
to that <HI>Memmius</HI> unto whom our Poet dedicates this
Book; he was (as <HI>Cicero</HI> affirmeth) &s;on to the above|mentioned
<HI>Lucius,</HI> a per&s;on &s;o &s;tudious in his youth, that
be&s;ides the name of Learned which he had acquired, he
was held in very great e&s;timation with all the wi&s;emen
of his time. It &s;eems <HI>He</HI> and <HI>Lucretius</HI> had been Con|temporaries
at <HI>Athens,</HI> when afterwards returning to
<HI>Rome,</HI> he was then by the favor of <HI>Pompeius,</HI> advanced
to eminent honor; for being fir&s;t made Praetor, he went
Governor of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> in which voyage the Poet <HI>Catullus</HI>
accompanied him, and as its believed, our <HI>Carus</HI> al&s;o,
together with <HI>Curtius Nicas,</HI> a famous and noble <HI>Gram|marian</HI>
of tho&s;e times, whom he exceedingly cheri&s;hed,
as is related by <HI>Suetonius.</HI> But quitting <HI>Bythinia</HI> (up<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">n
what occa&s;ion &s;omething uncertain, though there be,
who lay his ill admini&s;tration there to his charge) he
was &s;hortly after accu&s;ed by <HI>Cajus Cae&s;ar</HI> and others; out
of all which <HI>Memmius</HI> emerging, he contends with <HI>Do|mitio
Ma&s;&s;allas, Scaurus,</HI> and others, for the <HI>Con&s;ulat&punc;</HI> in
which the difference grew &s;o &s;harp, that in conclu&s;ion
there could be none elected for that year&punc; Sundry <HI>Inter|regnums</HI>
in the mean time hapning, as <HI>Cicero</HI> him&s;elf
te&s;tifies; for <HI>Memmius</HI> and <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> being now reconciled,
<HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> &s;tood much for him in the litigation;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Suetonius</NOTE> but all in
vain, for tho&s;e four <HI>Candidates,</HI> and divers others, being
accu&s;ed of <HI>Bribery,</HI> and other indirect dealings, the year
after <HI>Cn. Pompeius</HI> being <HI>Con&s;ul, Anno</HI> LOCI our unfor|tunate
<HI>Memmius</HI> condemned (<HI>Lege Pompeia de ambitu</HI>)
with one <HI>Hyp&s;eus,</HI> and the re&s;t, was exiled into <HI>Greece,</HI>
where he &s;pent &s;ome time at <HI>Athens,</HI> in which place he
had fir&s;t o<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> all &s;ucked in the Elements of that Philo&s;o|phy,
which he ever af<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">er &s;o much affected; being &s;o great
an admirer of the <HI>Epicurean</HI> Sect, that he certainly in|tended
to have erected &s;omething in honor of that great
<HI>In&s;titutor;</HI> but afterwards (it &s;eems) being diverted from
that de&s;ign, he removed thence to <HI>Mytelene,</HI> thence to
<HI>Patre,</HI> a Town in <HI>Achaia,</HI> near <HI>Corinth;</HI> where being
in fine a&s;cribed among&s;t the number of <HI>Citizens,</HI> he
adopted for his heir, the &s;on of one <HI>Ly&s;o,</HI> a Citizen of
<HI>Patre,</HI> being a per&s;on of much integrity, and one of
<HI>Ciceroes</HI> &s;pecial friends; and &s;o &s;hortly after ended his
days in that place. Thus much I thought it convenient
to mention concerning our <HI>Memmius,</HI> for the rea&s;ons
before alledged. Tho&s;e who de&s;ire to receive farther
&s;atisfaction herein, may con&s;ult <HI>Cicero de Clar is Oratori|bus
<PB N="103" REF="52">
ad Brutum,</HI> and in <HI>Rabiriana: Agellius, Chari&s;ius, Pri&s;|cian,
Gellius, &amp;c.</HI> where as well of his vices as vertues,
and what works he left to po&s;terity; adde to the&s;e
<HI>Tacitus, Suetonius, Fa&s;ti Con&s;ul, Capitolin, &amp;c.</HI> the <HI>Medails</HI>
and ancient <HI>In&s;criptions</HI> among&s;t the curious, <HI>Ang. Politia|nus,</HI>
P. <HI>Victor,</HI> and others. It concerns us no farther,
then to &s;hew the <HI>Reader</HI> how worthy a Patron our Poet
made choice of, &s;oofren by all the endearments of friend|&s;hip
conjured to give diligent attention to what he is
delivering.</P>
<LG>
<L>Nam tibi de &s;umma Coeli ratione, de&ucirc;m&abque;</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;erere incipiam; &amp; rerum primordia pandam:</L>
<L>V;nde omnis natura creet res, auctet, alatque:</L>
<L>Quove eadem rur&s;um natura perempta re&s;olvat:</L>
<L>Quae nos materiem, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For I of Gods, and Heaven will di&s;cour&s;e,</L>
<L>And &s;hew whence all things el&s;e derive their &s;ource,</L>
<L>Whence Nature doth create, augment and cheri&s;h</L>
<L>To what again re&s;olve them when they peri&s;h.</L>
</LG>
<P>And indeed the nature of the <HI>Gods,</HI> according to his
own Doctrine, did not re&s;ult from the&s;e principles:
<HI>Epicurus,</HI> it is believed, made them to proceed from a
certain fourth incorrupt nature; and therefore it was
an error which &s;ome delivered, that the <HI>Gods</HI> were like|wi&s;e
compo&s;ed of <HI>Atoms,</HI> as other Philo&s;ophers had be|fore
him thought them to con&s;i&s;t of <HI>Numbers:</HI> for &s;o did
<HI>Pythagoras,</HI> &s;ome of <HI>Fire,</HI> as <HI>Heraclitus,</HI> &amp;c. Our <HI>Poets</HI>
de&s;ign here being <HI>Vniver&s;a Rerum Natura,</HI> as it concerns
the fabrick of the world in general,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Adeo re|ligio e&s;&s;e non pote&s;t, ubi metus nullus est.</NOTE> which yet he erro|neou&s;ly
believed was not to be attained, whil&s;t the cogi|tations
of men were any way re&s;trained or di&s;tracted
with this <GAP DESC="foreign">, and apprehen&s;ion of the <HI>Gods,</HI> or ra|ther
(as I interpret it) mi&s;led by the &s;uper&s;titions of the
times: wherefore he endeavors to per&s;wade <HI>Memmius</HI>
to take it for a truth undeniable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de Ju&s;t. c. 2. &amp; de ir&acirc; dei.</NOTE> that tho&s;e <HI>celestial in|habitants</HI>
took little account of what <HI>Mortals</HI> did on
earth: for &s;aith he,</P>
<LG>
<PB N="104" REF="53">
<L>Omnis enim per &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> Div&ucirc;m natura nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Immortali aevo &s;umma cum pace fruatur,</L>
<L>Semota &agrave; no&s;tris rebus, &s;ejunct&aacute;&abque; long&egrave;:</L>
<L>Nam privata dolore omni, privato periclis,</L>
<L>Ip&s;a &s;uis pollens opibus: nihil indiga no&s;tri,</L>
<L>Nec <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ne promeritis capitur, nec tangitur ir&acirc;.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Gods in their Nature of them&s;elves &s;ub&s;i&s;t</L>
<L>'Tis certain; nor may ought their peace mole&s;t,</L>
<L>For ever, unconcern'd with our affairs,</L>
<L>So far remote, void of our grief or cares,</L>
<L>Need not our &s;ervice, &s;wim in full content,</L>
<L>Nor our good works accept, nor bad re&s;ent.</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>Di&s;&s;olvitur autem religio,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de ira dei c. 8. Au&s;on.</NOTE> <HI>&s;i credamus Epicuro illa dicenti,</HI>
Be this our Faith, and farewell all Religion, as the Fa|ther
<HI>Lactantius</HI> hath it, reciting this pa&s;&s;age. But &s;o an|other
of the &s;ame Creed, <HI>Quod e&s;t beatum, morte &amp; aeter|num
carens, nec &s;ibi parit negotium, nec alteri:</HI> For it is a
&s;ad truth, that the Doctrine of <HI>Epicurus</HI> had infected our
<HI>Carus,</HI> though not with a po&s;itive belief (as &s;ome will
have it) that there were indeed no <HI>Gods</HI> at all; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">et with
an opinion, that they did not intere&s;s them&s;elves in
humane affairs, or were at all concerned with the pro|ductions
of <HI>Nature;</HI> which they affirmed came to pa&s;s
from other cau&s;es, and <HI>&s;ine delectu,</HI> as it were, good and
bad &s;haring alike in this world. <HI>Quod &s;i Mundus divina
providentia, &amp; alicujus numinis a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ctoritate regeretur; nun|quam
mereretur Phalaris &amp; Diony&s;ius regnum, nunquam R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">|tilus
&amp; Camillus exilium, nunquam Socrates Venenum.</HI> Had
there been any &s;uch thing as Gods providence over the
actions of men, <HI>Tyrants</HI> had never u&s;urped, nor had <HI>ho|ne&s;t
men</HI> &s;uffered, &s;aith <HI>Caecilius</HI> in M. Felix; but now</P>
<LG>
<L>Marmoreo Lici<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">s tumulo jacet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Varr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> at Cato parvo</L>
<L>Pompeius nullo; credimus e&s;&s;e Deos!</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>In vaulted marble <HI>Licin</HI> is enclos'd</L>
<L>A turf does holy <HI>Ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> hide;</L>
<L>Uncover'd <HI>Pompey</HI> lies abroad expos'd,</L>
<L>Can providence the&s;e actions guide?</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>Fortuna certa, aut incerta Natura,</HI> &s;omething which they
knew not what to call, had charge of the&s;e &s;ublunary
<PB N="105" REF="53">
things; tho&s;e that &s;uffered innocently, and tho&s;e who
&s;wim in the &s;treams of pro&s;perity were all of like Re|ligion;
which makes <HI>Selius</HI> in <HI>Martial</HI> affirm it po&s;i|tively,</P>
<LG>
<L>Nullos e&s;&s;e Deos, inane Coelum</L>
<L>&mdash;Probat&abque; quod &s;e</L>
<L>Factum, dum negat haec, videt beatum.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Gods there are none, heaven is void.</L>
<L>Nay proves it, &s;ince whil&s;t this he doth deny</L>
<L>He &s;ees him&s;elf &s;wim in pro&s;perity.</L>
</LG>
<P>And therefore the <HI>Oracle</HI> to the <HI>Boetians</HI> demanding how
they might become happy, made an&s;wer, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
by being wicked.</P>
<P>But that &s;o indeed it &s;ometimes plea&s;es God to over
whelm impious men with the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">elicities and affluence of
this world.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Se R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">b. M. Mai. mon: More Nevo|chim par. 3. c. 17. 19. <HI>Jer.</HI> 12. 1&punc; 2. <HI>Mal,</HI> 3 14 <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73. 11, 12. Sen. in. Hipol.</NOTE> Hear the <HI>Tra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">edian</HI> thus re&s;enting it to
<HI>Fortune,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Sed cur idem&punc;</L>
<L>Qui tanta regis, &s;ub quo va&s;ti</L>
<L>Pondera mundi librata &s;uos</L>
<L>Ducunt orbes; hominum nimium</L>
<L>Securus ades? non &s;olicitus</L>
<L>Prode&s;&s;e bonis, nocui&s;&s;e malis.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;But thou who ha&s;t</L>
<L>A power &s;o ample, under whom the va&s;t</L>
<L>Worlds poi&s;ed weights, their con&s;tant rounds do lead,</L>
<L>Of Man why do&s;t thou take &s;o little h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">d?</L>
<L>So unconcern'd; nor care&s;t to relieve</L>
<L>The injur'd <HI>good,</HI> nor yet the <HI>bad</HI> to grieve.</L>
</LG>
<P>But the holy Poet King <HI>David</HI> to the contrary, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 8.
and as <HI>Seneca</HI> him&s;elf proceeds there,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Magna ira e&s;t, quando peccantibus non <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">a&s;ci|tur Deus. <HI>See S</HI> Hier. <HI>whole E|pi&s;t.</HI> 8. 1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. ad Ca&s;tru|tium.</NOTE> or rather th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"> of
<HI>Chry&s;ostome,</HI> St. <HI>Aug. Salvianus, Viperanus, Plutarch</HI> and
<HI>Seneca</HI> the <HI>Philo&s;opher,</HI> in a book expre&s;ly, <HI>Cicero, l.</HI> 3. <HI>de
nat, Deor. de Harpalo, &amp; Diony&s;ius</HI> the Tyrant, <HI>Lactantius
de ira Dei, de ju&s;titia,</HI> and &s;undry others, who have ren|dred
ample &s;atisfaction concerning this method of the
<HI>Divine providence.</HI> But as touching the other opinion,
that there &s;hould be no <HI>Gods,</HI> Hi&s;tory is not capable to
<PB N="106" REF="54">
make a rational man believe that ever any were &s;o bar|barous,
<HI>Nulla enim gens tam <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">era,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In Tu&s;c. l. de lege. &amp; 2. de Na|tura Deor.</NOTE> &s;aith <HI>Cicero:</HI> There is
no body &s;o mad, &amp;c. and yet thus it is recorded, that
be&s;ides this <HI>Selius, Prothagoras, Theodorus Cyrenaeus,</HI> and
many others, there was one <HI>Diagoras</HI> of old, &s;irnamed
the <HI>Athei&s;t,</HI> who with the fooli&s;h-hearted in the <HI>P&s;alm,</HI>
affirmed openly that there was no <HI>God,</HI> to di&s;card that
&s;uper&s;tition which he affirmed had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the mindes
of men, who&s;e fears fir&s;t created them. But let us ob|&s;erve
the event, him&s;elf was &s;hortly after bani&s;hed, and
his damnable books burnt by a &s;olemn decree of the
<HI>Athenians,</HI> it being reported that him&s;elf likewi&s;e peri&s;h|ed
in a &s;torm at Sea, God having once before clen&s;ed the
whole world by a univer&s;al <HI>Catacly&s;m</HI> for this impious
and irrational bla&s;phemy.</P>
<P><HI>Lucretius</HI> indeed &s;eems rather in this place, and the
many other in&s;tances through the following work, to
expre&s;s their neglect of humane affairs, then totally to
di&s;avow their exi&s;tence. <HI>Ego De&ucirc;m genus e&s;&s;e &s;emper
dixi, &amp; dicum Coelitum</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Ennius</HI>) <HI>&s;ed eos non curare
opinor, quid agat humanum genus:</HI> and &s;o the forecited
<HI>Minutius</HI> introduces <HI>Caecilius,</HI> deriding the <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> of
his time, <HI>Deum illum &s;uum quem nec o&s;tendere po&s;&s;unt, nec
videre in omnium mores, actus omnium, verba deni&abque; &amp;
occultas cogitationes diligenter inquirere? di&s;currentem &s;cilicet &amp;
ubi&abque; prae&s;entem?</HI> This they thought in&s;upportable to the
divine nature, and indeed impo&s;&s;ible that the Gods could
attend the actions of every particular per&s;on and place;
<HI>cum nec &s;ingulis in&s;ervire po&s;sit per univer&s;a di&s;tractus, nec uni|ver&s;is
&s;ufficere in &s;ingulis occupatus:</HI> No, &s;aith he, there is no
appearance to believe it, concluding with that of <HI>So|crates,
Quod &s;upera nos,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Acad&punc; 2. de di|vin.</NOTE> <HI>Nihil ad nos;</HI> For he &s;uppo&s;ed (as
the Orator of <HI>Dicaearches</HI>) <HI>id e&s;&s;e alienum &agrave; maje&s;tate deorum,
cau&s;as omnium intro&s;picere, videant quid cuique conducat, &amp;c.</HI>
But I leave the man, and all of his minde, to the con|futations
of the incomparable <HI>Octavius,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Divin. In&s;t. l. 5.</NOTE> of who&s;e ability
in this kinde, the Father <HI>Lactantius</HI> hath rendred a very
worthy Character, and what pity it was, he made not
this bu&s;ine&s;s of reducing <HI>Athei&s;ts,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de Fal&s;a &s;ap.</NOTE> a greater part of his
&s;tudies and employment.</P>
<P>The very truth is, <HI>Leucippus</HI> (not our Philo&s;opher)
was the fir&s;t broacher of this irreligious &s;tuff: for he
impudently denied, not onely the providence and power
of <HI>God,</HI> but likewi&s;e the immortality of the <HI>Soul&punc;</HI> as
for <HI>Epicurus</HI> his opinion, take it in &s;hort thus, He held
<PB N="107" REF="54">
<HI>God</HI> to be <GAP DESC="foreign">, perfectly happy in him&s;elf; as for
other matters, that they were all effected by certain na|tural
weights and motions; nay with much reverence,
that men were to adore and wor&s;hip this <HI>God,</HI> for his
Omnipotency, Excellency, Beauty, Immortality, and
other tran&s;cendencies; but in no wi&s;e to be afraid of
him for any thing which men did;<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. de De|ne&s;i.</NOTE> for as <HI>Seneca</HI> hath
interpreted this pa&s;&s;age almo&s;t in the very words of our
Poet, <HI>Deus nihil agit, nec magis illum beneficia, quam in|juriae
tangunt,</HI> and of the &s;ame minde it &s;eems was his
Countrey man, where he affirms,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Nunquam &s;e curadeorum<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lucan. l. 5.</NOTE></L>
<L>Sic premit, ut ve&s;trae vitae ve&s;traeq, Saluti</L>
<L>Fata vacent&mdash;</L>
<L>The Gods can never well &s;o low de&s;cend,</L>
<L>That Fates &s;hould on your death or li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e attend.</L>
</LG>
<P>All other things <HI>Fortuna non Arte regi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&amp;c.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Claud.</NOTE> as if it
were to &s;ubvert the very being of the Divinity, to give
it the perpetual anxiety of admini&s;tring &s;o va&s;t and
unwealdy a <HI>Commonwealth;</HI> that the Gods &s;hould have
no lei&s;ure to enjoy them&s;elves, whil&s;t they took any
th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ught or cognizance of others&punc; &s;ome imagining them
&s;o full of employment, &s;ome too intent in their plea|&s;ures;
&s;uch as 'tis likely the Prophet derided in the
Prie&s;ts of <HI>Baal, For&s;itan loquitur, aut in diver&s;orio est, aut
in Itinere,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Reg. 18. 27. Eph. 2. 12.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> for to all the&s;e <HI>diver&s;ions</HI> and nece&s;&s;ities, <HI>Lu|cian</HI>
blu&s;hes not to oblige even <HI>Jupiter</HI> him&s;elf. Thus
were the&s;e mi&s;erable men <HI>without God in the world,</HI> ut|terly
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tranged from the &s;peculation of his omnipotent
Nature, who&s;e chief delight is in the doing of good,
and who&s;e inex hau&s;tible bounry and providence, even
over things the mo&s;t incon&s;iderable, is without any per|plexity
at all, or the lea&s;t mole&s;tation; for <HI>in him we
live,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 17. 28. Luc. 12. 6. 7. Vide Ar|rianum Epict. <GAP DESC="foreign">, l. 1. c. 6. 16. Et l. 2. c. 20.</NOTE> <HI>and move&punc; and have our being;</HI> not a <HI>&s;parrow</HI> falls to
the ground without his appointment, <HI>quinetiam capilli
capitis omnes numerati &s;unt,</HI> and what is more trivial then
a Hair? But thus I &s;ay, did the&s;e <HI>Gentiles</HI> gro&s;ly mi&s;take
the life and e&s;&s;ence of the Infinite <HI>Deity,</HI> imagining him
of &s;ome Humane form, nature and imbecility, <HI>who&s;e
power is Omnipo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ence it &s;elf, who&s;e will is the principle of all
things, and who&s;e de&s;ires are Con&s;ummated works,</HI> as the
Eloquent <HI>Mon&s;ieur D' E&s;pagnet</HI> hath defined in his
incomparable <HI>Phy&s;ica re&s;tituta.</HI> Sad and certain it is,
<PB N="108" REF="55">
that however &s;ome <GAP DESC="foreign">,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 12</NOTE> even in this
pretending age of ours, talk &s;o much of the <HI>providence
of God,</HI> yet &s;o live they, as if they denyed it in their
Actions; to convince whom, &s;ince it is the duty of the
Preacher, I &s;hould here beg pardon for having &s;aid &s;o
much, did not the pre&s;ent Argument, and frequent ob|jection
again&s;t our Poet, &s;ufficiently ju&s;tifie me. The
great <HI>Lip&s;ius</HI> in his book <HI>de Con&s;tanti&acirc;,</HI> hath &s;poken well
on this &s;ubject; or to come neerer home, the learned
Dr. <HI>Hackwel</HI> in his excellent Apology, as this of our
<HI>Carus,</HI> with all his eight rea&s;ons, refuted by the inge|nious
Dr. <HI>Charlton,</HI> to all who&s;e di&s;cour&s;es I &s;uppo&s;e no|thing
can ea&s;ily be added, be&s;ides trouble to the Reader.
But will you now learn who it was that fir&s;t removed
this <HI>Bugbear</HI> out of the mindes of <HI>Mortals?</HI> Hear we
<HI>Lucretius</HI> thus de&s;cribing him.</P>
<LG>
<L>Humana ante oculos foed&egrave; cum vita jaceret</L>
<L>In terris oppre&s;&s;a gravi &s;ub Religione:</L>
<L>Quae caput &agrave; Coeli regionibus o&s;tendebat,</L>
<L>Horribili &s;uper ad&s;pectu mortalibus in&s;tans:</L>
<L>Prim&ugrave;m Grajus homo mortalis tollere contr&agrave;</L>
<L>E&s;t oculos au&s;us, primu&s;&abque; ob&s;i&s;tere contr&agrave;, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Whil&s;t &s;ometimes humane life dejected lay</L>
<L>On earth, under gro&s;s &s;uper<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">titions &s;way,</L>
<L>Who&s;e head aloft from heaven &s;eem'd t'appear,</L>
<L>And <HI>Mankinde</HI> with its horrid &s;hape did &s;care,</L>
<L>With mortal eyes to look on her that dur&s;t</L>
<L>Or contradict, a <HI>Graecian</HI> was the fir&s;t, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>And a bold man he was indeed, <HI>Ponere os in coelum,</HI> thus
to out face heaven.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Diog. Laert. l. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Epicurus</HI> it &s;eems was the per&s;on.
<GAP DESC="foreign">, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c&punc; <HI>Epicurus</HI> was
the &s;on of <HI>Neoclis</HI> and <HI>Chaere&s;trata,</HI> of the tribe of the <HI>Gar|ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ns,</HI>
within the City of <HI>Athens,</HI> of the family of the
<HI>Philaides.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Metr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">do|rus in lib. de Nobi|lit.</NOTE> About the age of eighteen he went and
&s;tudied at <HI>Athens,</HI> near the time of the death of <HI>Alex|ander</HI>
the great, when <HI>Zenocrates</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;totle,</HI> tho&s;e fa|mous
per&s;ons flouri&s;hed. In that <HI>&V;niver&s;ity</HI> having pro|cured
many Scholars that favored his opinions, he fir&s;t
founded that <HI>In&s;titution,</HI> which afterwards pre&s;erved his
memory and name; but he received (it &s;eems) the
fir&s;t hint of the&s;e opinions from the books of <HI>Democrates</HI>
<PB N="109" REF="55">
touc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ing <HI>Atomes,</HI> and <HI>Ani&s;tippus</HI> concerning plea&s;ure;
which yet the world is infinitely mi&s;taken in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Ga&s;|&s;end. in vita Epic. in Epi&s;t. Nam quod ad bonos attinet mores e|vincam facile opi|nor, &amp;c.</NOTE> whil&s;t
they fondly imagine he placed it in tho&s;e luxurious and
carnal appetites of the &s;en&s;ual and lower man; upon
which account &s;o many have made his name to become a
Characteri&s;tick of reproach, <HI>Verum i&s;ti, &agrave; quibus talia
objiciuntur, in&s;aniunt:</HI> as the forecited <HI>Laertius;</HI> for,
&s;aith he, he was a per&s;on of &s;uper-excellent candor and
integrity, as te&s;tified by his Countrey in general; the
co&s;tly <HI>Statues,</HI> and glorious <HI>In&s;criptions</HI> erected to his
memory; his many Friends and Di&s;ciples; and la&s;tly,
that <HI>promi&s;cua erga omnis benevolentia;</HI> nay, and (what
the Reader little expected) even his <HI>Religion</HI> and <HI>Cha|rity:</HI>
for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">uch are the &s;ucce&s;&s;ive expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Diogenes.</HI>
<GAP DESC="foreign">,
namely to the Gods his piety, and
affection to his Country, both of them &s;o con&s;picuous
in him. And then for his Di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">t: he was (&s;aith <HI>Diocles</HI>)
&s;o frugal and <HI>A&s;cetick,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Cont. De&s;. Herald. l. 1. in Apol. Tertul. Com.</NOTE> that his drink was nothing &s;ave
a &s;mall &s;ort of wine, or for the mo&s;t part water of the rock
onely; nay, it is reported, that one day &s;ending for a
mor&s;el of chee&s;e to his bread, he was heard to prose&s;s,
that it was a very great Extraordinary, <HI>Huju&s;cemodi ergo
Ille fuit, qui Bonorum finem Voluptatem e&s;&s;e decrevit.</HI> Behold
the <HI>Epicure,</HI> which all the World cry up for their Patron,
and fir&s;t founder. But let us hear him celebrated by
<HI>Athenaeus,</HI> and then judge of the man,</P>
<LG>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign"></L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">, <GAP DESC="foreign">;</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign"></L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign"></L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Why Mortals plot you wickedne&s;s for gain</L>
<L>Un&s;atiable, &s;trifes and wars maintain?</L>
<L>All <HI>Natures</HI> wealth does in &s;trait bounds delight,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t fal&s;e opinions erre to infinite.</L>
<L>Wi&s;e <HI>Neoclis</HI> &s;on, this from the <HI>Mu&s;es</HI> brought,</L>
<L>Or it by <HI>Suadas Tripodes</HI> was taught.</L>
</LG>
<P>And &s;o the <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> Philo&s;opher,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6. 8.</NOTE> Having food and
cloathing, let us therewith be contented. But to ha&s;ten,
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ur <HI>Heroe</HI> was born in the hundred and ninth <HI>Olimpiad,</HI>
<PB N="110" REF="56">
the third year after the death of the Divine <HI>Plato.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> Apollodo|rus in Chron. Suavee&s;t, &amp; nihil curo. Cic. 2. Tu&s;cul. qu.</NOTE> He
in&s;tituted his <HI>School</HI> and <HI>Sect</HI> being about thirty
years of age: and finally, ended <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">is life at <HI>Athens,</HI> in
the &s;econd year of the 127 <HI>Oly<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">piad,</HI> after he had lived
about 72 years, being tormented with the fatal <HI>Stone</HI>
in the bladder, during which conflict (which continued
no le&s;s then fourteen days) he expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch an ad|mirable
patience and tranquility of Spirit, gave &s;o many
incomp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rable precepts to tho&s;e which were about him,
that the empty and impatient <HI>Epicures</HI> of our age (un|worthy
that Character) who execrate and fret at every
trifling accident,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Ma&s;|cardi di&s;|cor&s;o. 7. part. 3. Ga&s;&s;end. de vita epic. in Epi&s;t.</NOTE> may blu&s;h to &s;tile them&s;elves after his
illu&s;trious name, to who&s;e vertues they can pretend &s;o
little title, <HI>piget, imo pudet omnino delacerari ip&s;um abiis, qui
&s;imulantes Curios vivuntinterim Bacchanalta, &amp; ab illius mo|deratione
prolixi&s;&s;imis ab&s;unt intervalli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> The Epi&s;tle which
he writ to <HI>Idomeneus</HI> in that very <HI>paroxi&s;m</HI> that carried
him away, &s;ufficiently te&s;tifies, that the <HI>Felicity</HI> which
he cheri&s;hed and taught, was onely to be enjoyed in
the command over his Pa&s;&s;ions, the memery of his ex|cellent
inventions, Philo&s;ophy, and incomparable Rea|&s;on.
And if this ha&s;ty de&s;ign do not fully repre&s;ent him
to the Reader,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Ci|ceronem in epi&s;t. famil. l. 15. 19.</NOTE> le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> him behold him de&s;cribed to the
very life, by the &s;kilful Pen&s;il <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">f <HI>Laertius,</HI> where he
&s;hall al&s;o &s;ee his <HI>Te&s;tame<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">t, Doctrine, Di&s;ciples</HI> and <HI>Wri|tings;</HI>
where likewi&s;e his Books <HI>de Natura, de Atomis,
Inani, de Amore,</HI> and a ju&s;t Liberary more by that <HI>Bio|grapher</HI>
enumera<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ed, Le&s;s then this I could not well
have &s;aid concerning our great <HI>Epicurus,</HI> of who&s;e
<HI>Doctrine</HI> and <HI>Pla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">its</HI> our <HI>Lucretius</HI> was the expre&s;s
Trumpet in <HI>Roman</HI> Ver&s;e, his Philo&s;ophy being the ve|ry
&s;ubject matter of all that which he hath in &s;ix books
comprehended. This, I &s;ay, was that bold per&s;on, who
whil&s;t he derided the mo&s;t &s;uper&s;titious of his Coun|trey,
&s;eemed not aff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">aid to violate the Sanctuaries of
Nature, and even Heaven it &s;elf; &s;lighting the thun|derbolts
of their fanta&s;ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">al <HI>Deities,</HI> which till then had
pre&s;erved men within the limits of fear, and a fal&s;e Re|ligion,
an oppre&s;&s;ion he believed to a knowing per&s;on
altogether vain and in&s;upportable. Thus therefore after
he had &s;peculated the uttermo&s;t efferts and de&s;ign of
Nature,</P>
<LG>
<L>Atque omne immen&s;um peragravit mente, animo&abque;</L>
<L>&V;nde refert nobis victor,&mdash;&amp;c.</L>
<L>All that was great&punc; his generous &s;oul had view'd.</L>
</LG>
<P><PB N="111" REF="56">
Behold him now like another <HI>Behemoth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">c. 41. 25.</NOTE> of whom <HI>Job,
Omne &s;ublime videt, ip&s;e e&s;t rex &s;uperbiae &s;uper univer&s;os filios
&s;uperbiae,</HI> and like a Conqueror boldly triumphing over
the whole Empire of <HI>Nature,</HI> and celebrating him&s;elf in
this glorious Pean of the Poet,</P>
<LG>
<L>Felix qui potuit Rerum cogno&s;cere Cau&s;as,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Virg. Geor. 2.</NOTE></L>
<L>At&abque; metus omneis, &amp; inexorabile fatum</L>
<L>Subjecit pedibus, &s;trepitum&abque; Acherontis avari.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Happy who can things and their cau&s;es reach,</L>
<L>Hath ca&s;t all fears and ridgid fate beneath</L>
<L>His feet, and the vain dread of greedy death.</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>Epicurus</HI> thus Deified, and his &s;mall Devotion com|mended
by our Poet, he proceeds like a wary <HI>Athei&s;t,</HI>
to &s;ortifie his a&s;&s;ertion, pretending as if he meant no|thing
le&s;s then the desbauching of his friend <HI>Memmius</HI>
into any rudiments of Impiety, farther then to demon|&s;trate
the great evils and inconveniences which pro|ceeded
from the actions and pretended Devotion of &s;u|per&s;titious
men; in&s;tanced by the cruel Sacrifice of a
fair Virgin Prince&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</P>
<LG>
<L>Aulide quo pacto Triviai Virginis arma,</L>
<L>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">hiana&s;&s;ai turparun<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> Sanguine foed&egrave;</L>
<L>Ductores Dana&ucirc;m delecti, prima virorum, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Thus when the <HI>Graecian</HI> Chie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s of prime repute</L>
<L>The unwed <HI>Trivian</HI> Altar did pollute</L>
<L>With <HI>Iphigenias</HI> blood, at <HI>Aulis,</HI> &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>As our <HI>Carus</HI> here relates the pa&s;&s;age.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. de Of|fic.</NOTE> For it &s;eems
<HI>Agamemn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> had formerly made a promi&s;e (<HI>promi&s;&s;um</HI>
(&s;aith <HI>Cicero</HI>) <HI>potius non faciendum qu&agrave;m tam taetrum faci|nus
faciendum fuit</HI>) to <HI>Sacrifice</HI> the faire&s;t birth of that
year, which falling out to be his own daughter, and
onely childe, <HI>Iphigenia,</HI> he &s;o long deferred, that the
winds proving contrary to his <HI>Trojan</HI> de&s;ign (&s;o that
the Fleets could by no means get out of the Port of
<HI>Aulis</HI>) it was told him by <HI>Calcas,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide E|lect. Soph. &amp; Eurip. Iphig. Virg Aen. 2.</NOTE> that <HI>Dianas</HI> being in|cen&s;ed
for the procra&s;tination of his vow, was the cau&s;e
of the &s;oul weather, which hindred his expedition;
whereupon the &s;uper&s;titious King imm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">dia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ely, and
<PB N="112" REF="57">
mo&s;t u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">mercifully &s;acrificeth his Daughter. The rea&s;on
is clear by our Poet,</P>
<LG>
<L>Exitus ut Cla&s;&s;i feliae, fau&s;t&uacute;&s;&abque; daretur.</L>
<L>Tantum religio potuit &s;uadere malorum.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>That a &s;afe expedit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">on might b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> made</L>
<L>To &s;o much Ill, could fooli&s;h zeal per&s;wade!</L>
</LG>
<P>Though &s;ome there are who write that the Godde&s;s
taking pity on the Virgin, accepted of an Hind in her
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">tead. But &s;trange was the power of <HI>Super&s;tition</HI> in tho&s;e
Ages, that &s;o wi&s;e, and &s;o great men &s;hould &s;uf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">er that
extream delu&s;ion; in&s;omuch, as &s;ome did not onely de|&s;ign
others, but even them&s;elves for <HI>Victims</HI> to tho&s;e
blood-thir&s;ty infernal powers.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Eu|rip. in Phaeni&s;&s;is. Val. Max.</NOTE> for &s;o we read of <HI>Menae|ceus</HI>
the &s;on of <HI>Creon,</HI> in the wars of <HI>Thebes</HI> to <HI>Mars;
Codrus</HI> in his generous di&s;gui&s;e, and <HI>Curtius</HI> in his vain|glorious
precipitation. Be&s;ides the <HI>Decii,</HI> and infinite
others, of whom &s;ee <HI>Plutarchs Themi&s;tocles,</HI> and <HI>Pau&s;ani|a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,
Lyctiorum</HI> in <HI>Creete,</HI> the <HI>Le&s;bians,</HI> and <HI>Phocoen&s;is,</HI> of
which <HI>Clemens, Alexand.</HI> in <HI>protreptico.</HI> They u&s;ed year|ly
to &s;acrifice a <HI>Gaul</HI> of either Sex to <HI>Jupiter,</HI> and in
&s;ome parts of <HI>Africa,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Diony&s;. Haliar. l. 1.</NOTE> the immolated little babes to <HI>Sa|turn;</HI>
nay, as <HI>Lactantius</HI> reports, the <HI>Carthaginians</HI> &s;a|crificed
no le&s;s then two hundred Noblemens children
at once, to pacifie that <HI>Idol</HI> after their overthrow by
<HI>Agathocles</HI> King of <HI>Sicily, O dementian in&s;anabilem! quid
illis i&s;ti dii amplius facere po&s;&s;ent, &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;ent irati&s;&s;itni? &amp;c.</HI> as
the <HI>Father</HI> there exclaims.<NOTE PLACE="marg">De fal&s;a Relig. l. 1. c. 21. Ovid. de Arte Amand. l. 3. L. 3. c. 1.</NOTE> In <HI>Ponticus</HI> and <HI>Egypt</HI> in the
rites of <HI>Bu&s;iris&punc;</HI> they &s;acrificed &s;trangers, as <HI>Thro&s;eus</HI> the
South&s;ayer found upon &s;ad experience: And not long
&s;ince, what inhumane butcheries they exerci&s;ed in the
We&s;t-Indies at <HI>Montezumas</HI> Temple in <HI>Mexico,</HI> the Spa|ni&s;h
hi&s;tories relate; nay, the madne&s;s it &s;eems was &s;o
univer&s;al, that even among&s;t our own Countreymen,
the <HI>Britains</HI> here, <HI>Cruore Captivo adolere aras,</HI> as <HI>Tacitus</HI> in
Annal. 14. <HI>Pliny</HI> and others report, <HI>Sed de Barbaris non
e&s;t adeo mirandum; quorum, religio cum moribus congruit:</HI>
Since, even the Romans them&s;elves, as much civilized
as they boa&s;ted them&s;elves to be, &s;uffered this bruti&s;h
cu&s;tom to prevail very long upon the world, for it conti|nued
even to the time of the elder <HI>Pliny,</HI> when it was a u|&s;ual
thing upon every fini&s;ter event,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid. Plin. l. 28. c. 1.</NOTE> to ca&s;t multitudes of
innocent Chri&s;ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ns into the River <HI>Tybur;</HI> which devili&s;h
<PB N="113" REF="57">
fury of theirs remaining to the days of <HI>Ju&s;tinus</HI> and <HI>Ta|tian,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Porphyr, lib. de non e&s;u anim|ant. Ter. Iu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. Apol. 1. Eu&s;eb. Orat. in laud. Con&s;t. J. V. Hieron lib. de|Script. Eccle&s;. P. Mart. in lib. jud. c. 11. fol. 130. Deut. 12. 31. P&s;al. 106. 37. 2 Reg. 3. 27. Ez. 23. 39 <HI>Mr.</HI> Sel|den de Diis Sy|rorum Chald. paraph.</NOTE>
was with much difficulty at la&s;t redre&s;&s;ed; albeir,
the&s;e bloody <HI>Rites</HI> had been long before prohibited by
a &s;olemn decree of the Sena<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>Cornelius Lentu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">us,</HI> and
<HI>Lucinius Cra&s;&s;us,</HI> being Co&s;&s;. But to in&s;tance in what comes
neare&s;t our Poet, we finde in <HI>Marius</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Cym|bryans,</HI>
who &s;acrificed <HI>Calphurnia</HI> his daughter, whom
he had onely promi&s;ed in a dream, to obtain the victory
over that people. Certain it is, that the vow of <HI>Jeptha</HI>
&s;o rhetoricaly related by <HI>Jo&s;ephus</HI> out of Judges the 11.
doth exceedingly re&s;emble this &s;tory, and divers other
examples we could introduce of like barbarity, not onely
in prophane, but even the &s;acred &s;tory, particularly in
the cruelty of the perplext King of <HI>Moab,</HI> the very &s;ight
whereof moved the enemy to rai&s;e the &s;iege, and give
over the enterprize; and in what an horrible manner
they u&s;ed to fry their little ones in the &s;eventh recepta|cle
of the Idol <HI>Moloch, Paulus Fagius</HI> doth &s;omewhere
de&s;cribe, not much unlike to the <HI>Phalarian</HI> Bull. In
the pre&s;ent &s;tory it is very ob&s;ervable, that when <HI>Timantes</HI>
a famous Painter, would repre&s;ent the Sacrifice of <HI>Iphi|genia,</HI>
whil&s;t he expre&s;&s;ed <HI>Chalcas, &V;ly&s;&s;es, Menelaus,</HI> and
the re&s;t of the Spectators with very &s;ad and lugubrous
countena<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ces, to &s;hew that the grief of her afflicted fa|ther
(<HI>quoniam &s;ummum illum luctum penicillo non po&s;&s;et imi|tari</HI>
(as <HI>Cicero</HI> very <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">legantly in Orat.) could by no
Art of the Pencil be counterfeited, mo&s;t ingeniou&s;ly
drew <HI>Agamemnon</HI> with a vail over his face. But I will
enlarge no farther on this &s;ad argument, illu&s;trable by a
volume of like examples, if I would give my &s;elf leave
to &s;troy, and weary the Reader; onely as touching the
<HI>Trivian Altar,</HI> whereon this Cruelty is &s;aid to be perpe|trated,
becau&s;e it was dedicated to <HI>Diana Ca&s;alius</HI> in
his ancient <HI>Egyptian</HI> Rites, <HI>cap.</HI> 20. thinks it to be <HI>I&s;is,</HI>
taken frequently for the <HI>Moon,</HI> whom they Hieroglyphiz'd
with an head furni&s;hed with a triple ornament of <HI>Horns,</HI>
a <HI>Crown</HI> and <HI>Ears, &amp; po&s;&s;ent haec tria &s;igna</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>de|notare,
quod I&s;is, &s;ive Luna Trivia &amp; Tergemina &s;eu trifor|mis
&s;it nuncupata.</HI> And this &s;hall &s;uffice,</P>
<LG>
<L>Tutemet &agrave; nobis jam quovis tempore vatum</L>
<L>Terriloquis victus dict<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">s de&s;ci&s;cere quaeres.</L>
<L>Quippe etenim qu&agrave;m multa tibi me fingere po&s;&s;um</L>
<L>Somnia,&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="114" REF="58">
<L>Thy &s;elf (&s;o long) with Poets frightful lies</L>
<L>O'recome, wilt our opinion &s;oon di&s;pi&s;e,</L>
<L>How many dreams yet could I to thee feign? &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>As if he &s;hould have &s;aid, the&s;e doting Fables of the
<HI>Poets,</HI> &s;uch were the &s;tories of <HI>Cerberus, Acheron, Tantalus,
Titius, Sicyphus, &amp;c.</HI> have &s;o &s;trangely po&s;&s;e&s;t you; and
the truth is, I my &s;elf were capable to da&s;h all the pre|cious
enjoyments, that <GAP DESC="foreign">, repo&s;e and tran|quility
of thy life, were it my de&s;ign to pur&s;ue tho&s;e
<HI>terriculamenta</HI> and old-wives fables. Nor indeed, &s;aith
he, do men without rea&s;on believe them, and are be|come
thus &s;uper&s;titious, whil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t they remain &s;o ignorant
of the nature and e&s;&s;ence of their <HI>Souls,</HI> which they
&s;uppo&s;e to be <HI>Immortal,</HI> and yet know not what will be|come
of them hereafter; <HI>viz.</HI> Whether all their mi&s;eries
&s;hall determine in this world or not; for indeed <HI>Epi|curus</HI>
totally denied the Immortality of this precious
<HI>Particle;</HI> and it is prodigious to con&s;ider onely the
wonderful variety of mens opinions concerning it:
For (to take but a &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">re &s;urvey) &s;ome, as the Stoicks,
held, that the Soul did in&s;inuate into the body) with
which it was congenial, and that <HI>per traducem. Ari&s;totle</HI>
of old, and <HI>Senertus</HI> of late, were favorers of this <HI>tra|dition,</HI>
as if grated from the &s;ouls of the Parents, it
onely lurked <HI>in &s;emine,</HI> by which argument it cannot be
pre&s;erved from peri&s;hing and expiring together with
them.<NOTE PLACE="marg">D'e&s;cartes Method.</NOTE> The &s;ame Author will have &s;ome parts of the
Soul, which re&s;ide in corporeal receptacles, to live
and expire with them, and in the mean time, that the
<HI>Intellect</HI> (which enjoys no in&s;trument of the body as
perpetual) is &s;eparated from that which is corruptible.
This notion, I confe&s;s, is hugely controverted. <HI>Alex|ander
Aphrodi&s;eus</HI> peremptorily affirms, that he hath here|by
rendred the &s;oul mortal; and yet it is thought that
<HI>Gregory Nazianzen</HI> favored this opinion: But again&s;t
the&s;e is <HI>Plato;</HI> and of the Chri&s;tians, <HI>Tho: Aquinas,</HI> a
&s;tout <HI>Ari&s;totelean,</HI> who interprets the opinion altogether
in favor of <HI>Immortality;</HI> yet <HI>Averroes,</HI> another Com|mentator
upon this <HI>Prince</HI> of Philo&s;ophers, &s;uppo&s;eth
that every man hath a peculiar &s;oul which is mortal, di|&s;tingui&s;hed
from the <HI>Minde,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arnob. adver. G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">nt.</NOTE> which he calleth immortal.
The <HI>Platonists, Pherecydes,</HI> and old <HI>Academiques</HI> be|lieved,
that the &s;oul did precede the body eternally.</P>
<P><PB N="115" REF="58">
<HI>Crates</HI> the <HI>Theban</HI> admitted of no Soul, a&s;cribing onely
a natural motion to bodies: There are none of the
Elements but &s;ome have fetched the &s;oul from. The
great <HI>Hyppocrates</HI> will have it a <HI>tenuous &s;pirit,</HI> diffu&s;ed
through the body. <HI>A&s;clepiades</HI> &s;ays plainly, 'tis Fle&s;h.
<HI>Zeno</HI> makes it to be a <HI>quinte&s;cence,</HI> or certain quality and
complexion of the Elements. <HI>Chry&s;ippus, Archelaus</HI> and
<HI>Heraclytus Ponticus</HI> taught, that it was light. Nor are
they at all agreed about the re&s;idence thereof; for &s;ome
place it in the head, others in the heart, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
as <HI>Diagoras. Epicurus</HI> in the &s;tomach:
And there be, who will a&s;&s;ign it no dwelling at all, but
a thing &s;ecluded from any determinate fixure; for of
this conceit, I finde <HI>Xenophanes, Colophonius, Ari&s;toxenes,</HI>
and many others: and hence it is (I &s;uppo&s;e) that
<HI>Xenocrates</HI> terms the Soul an <HI>automote-Number,</HI> which is
conformable to what the <HI>Chaldeans</HI> taught of old, when
they named it a <HI>Vertue</HI> void of any determinate form,
receptive yet of all <HI>heterogenious</HI> forms. <HI>Aristotle</HI> happily
&s;tamped his <HI>Entelechia,</HI> to expre&s;s the perfection of a
natural Organick-body, <HI>potentia vitam habentis, &amp;c.</HI>
Nor indeed were the <HI>Heathen</HI> the onely men who di&s;|&s;ented
about this Speculation: The mo&s;t learned <HI>Origen</HI>
and others, conceived that the Soul of the fir&s;t man a&s;|&s;umed
its original with the Cele&s;tial Creatures, and
make it more ancient then the body. Some there were,
fancied, that one Soul produced another, as one body
procreates another; of which opinion was <HI>Apollinaris
Bi&s;hop</HI> of <HI>Laodicea, Tertullian, Cyrillus,</HI> and <HI>Luciferanus.</HI>
who are all mainly oppugned by S. <HI>Hierom.</HI> The fore|cited
<HI>T. Aquin.</HI> affirmeth, that there is a quo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">idian creation
of Souls; for that (&s;aith he) it is the form of the body,
and cannot have a &s;eparate creation: And to this opi|nion
the <HI>Schools,</HI> and many later <HI>Divines</HI> have generally
a&s;&s;ented, among&s;t whom, our Countreyman <HI>Occam</HI> af|firms,
that there be two Souls in every man, the <HI>Sen|&s;itive</HI>
of the <HI>Parent,</HI> and the <HI>Intellective</HI> of the <HI>Creator:</HI>
But others again confound them both together, and will
admit of no di&s;tinction: In fine, tho&s;e who think
they have neere&s;t approached the truth (be&s;ides &s;uch
as ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s they under&s;tand it not (for
&s;uch I finde <HI>Seneca</HI> in <HI>Lactantius</HI> to have been) will have
the Soul to be a certain Divine Sub&s;tance, intire, in|divi&s;ible,
omnipre&s;ent to the parts, and depending one|ly
upon the vertue of the <HI>Agent,</HI> and not of any mat|ter.
<PB N="116" REF="59">
Of this opinion (be&s;ides &s;undry others) were <HI>Plu|tarch,
Porphyrie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Tert. c. 15. de Anima. Cic. Tu&s;c. q. 1. Ari&s;tox. mu&s;ic. l. 3. Har|monic. Lact. de divin. praemio. l. 7. Mat. 22. 23. Jo&s;ephus. Hieron. Ovid.</NOTE> <HI>Timeus, Zoroa&s;tes, Hermes Tri&s;megi&s;tus,
Orpheus, &amp;c.</HI> To conclude, the more &s;ollid define it to
be a <HI>Sub&s;tance,</HI> or certain <HI>modus</HI> of the <HI>Body,</HI> an <HI>Attri|bute,</HI>
&amp;c. not produced by any <HI>Seminal Traduction,</HI> but
by a <HI>Divine</HI> and <HI>Spiritual emanation. Cicero</HI> in his 1. <HI>Tu&s;c.
Qu.</HI> tells us of one conceited fellow (we have already
named him) who denied that there was any &s;oul at all,
or at lea&s;t, no more then was in a <HI>Fiddle,</HI> comparing the
Chords and Con&s;ent of the In&s;trument, to the mem|bers
and nerves of the body: <HI>quo nihil dici delirius po|te&s;t.</HI>
And then about the continuance of the Soul, be|&s;ides
the <HI>Saduces, Democritus,</HI> our <HI>Poet</HI> and his <HI>Ma&s;ter,</HI>
the <HI>Brachmani, Pythagorean-metemp&s;yco&s;i&s;ts, E&s;&s;ens,</HI> and
other Speculative men, to abate the terror of death,
and render their Di&s;ciples couragious upon all adven|tures,
though they denied the Immortality of the Soul
in the <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> notion, yet taught they a certain im|morral
Tran&s;migration thereof into the bodies of o|ther
creatures; of which <HI>Xenophanes, Timon, Hermippus,
Lucian,</HI> and divers others have di&s;cour&s;ed at large;
nay, <HI>Jamblicus</HI> with <HI>Tri&s;megi&s;tus</HI> held, that the Souls de|part
not onely from men to irrational creatures, but
from them to one another of the &s;ame kinde; yea,
that they de&s;cend into <HI>Plants;</HI> of which conceit are
many modern <HI>Jews,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Aonium pa&s;earium de an Im|mortal l. 1. Albo. l. 2. c. 12. <HI>See</HI> Luc. l. 1. Non taci|tas Erebi &s;edes, &amp;c.</NOTE> who talk of an <HI>Angel</HI> Turn-key
to a certain Magazine of Spirits, ready created for all
the bodies that &s;hall ever have being, which <HI>Guardian
Intelligence</HI> they call <HI>Intellectum agentem:</HI> but to quit
the&s;e differences and <HI>Turco-Jewi&s;h</HI> dreams, it is believed
that the Poet <HI>Ennius</HI> (&s;o exceedingly celebrated here by
our <HI>Poet</HI>) was the fir&s;t that broached this <HI>Tran&s;migration</HI>
among&s;t the Latines; who for all this tels us no news
of either <HI>infernal</HI> places or pains,</P>
<L>Sed quaedam &s;imulacra modis pallentia miris, &amp;c.</L>
<P>But &s;ome pale frightful Spectrum's.</P>
<P>Faint appa itions, &s;ading &s;hadows, and &s;carce vi&s;ible
images of <HI>Gho&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Hobgoblins.</HI></P>
<L>&V;nde &s;ibi exortam &s;emper-florentis H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">meri</L>
<L>Commem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rat &s;peciem,&mdash;</L>
<L><HI>Which he of</HI> Homer <HI>doth Commemor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">t,</HI>&mdash;</L>
<P><PB N="117" REF="59">
Tho&s;e who have written the life of S. <HI>Bruno</HI> founder
of the Carchu&s;ians,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plut. de The&s;pe&s;: de &s;eravind. Vide Ca&s;|&s;ian. &amp; Jacob. de paradi&s;o Carthu&s;i|an. Peucerum de divini|tat. Lact. de divino praem. l. 7. De bello Gall. l. 6. Strab. l. 4 Diog. La<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rt. in proem. l. 5. hi&s;t. Vide Ser|vium ad. 6. Aeneid. Seneca Epi&s;t. 117</NOTE> report, that being returned from
<HI>Hell,</HI> aud being demanded what he had remaining of his
knowledge: He &s;hould an&s;wer, that he remembred no|thing
but pain. There are many other in&s;tances of
<HI>Gho&s;tly apparitions,</HI> by which we might farther illu&s;trate
the certainty of the <HI>Souls Immortality.</HI> The Oracle of
<HI>Apollo Mile&s;ius</HI> is well known; nor were the Epicureans
&s;o ob&s;tinate, but that they under&s;tood there was then
an art of rai&s;ing &s;pirits. <HI>Sed quia non pervidebant animae
rationem, quae tam &s;ubtilis e&s;t, ut oculos humanae mentis eff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">|giat,
interire dixerunt:</HI> for it &s;eems in this they went no
farther then the <HI>eye:</HI> But here we might introduce that
of the <HI>Druids</HI> delivered by <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> and <HI>Strab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> of the
<HI>Brachmani,</HI> whereof <HI>Porphyrie</HI> in his Book <HI>Prohibiting
the eating of Fle&s;h.</HI> The &s;ame was affirmed likewi&s;e by the
<HI>Egyptians,</HI> who for that very re&s;pect did not burn their
dead, <HI>eod&eacute;m&abque; cura &amp; de infernis per&s;ua&s;io</HI> &s;aith <HI>Tacitus,</HI>
&s;peaking there of the <HI>Jews;</HI> nor were the very <HI>Indians</HI>
le&s;s religious, &s;aith <HI>Strabo,</HI> where he di&s;cour&s;eth <GAP DESC="foreign">,
of the Judgements in the other
world; which likewi&s;e 'tis reported tho&s;e in <HI>America</HI> be|lieved,
pointing to certain places beyond the moun|tains
as to <HI>Ely&s;ian Fields,</HI> where tho&s;e who had be|haved
them&s;elves well, kept eternal <HI>Revels,</HI> and en|joy'd
their repo&s;e. In all which I finde them to have
been much better a&s;&s;ured, and more confident then even
many great <HI>Philo&s;ophers;</HI> for having &s;poken &s;omething
in favor thereof, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
which yet they are very cautious of overmuch pre&s;&s;ing;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tu&s;c. que&s;t.</NOTE>
and it is evident, that <HI>Cicero</HI> exceedingly wavered there|in,
<HI>Praeclar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m autem ne&s;cio quid adepti &s;unt quod dedic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">runt
&s;e, c&ugrave;m tempus mortis veni&s;&s;et, totos e&s;&s;e perituros: quod ut
ita &s;it (nihil enim pugno) quid habet i&s;ta res aut Laetabile,
aut glorio&s;um?</HI> and as little a&s;&s;ured was the Divine <HI>Seneca,
Et forta&s;&s;e</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;i mod&ograve; &s;apientum verae fama e&s;t, re|cipit&abque;
nos locus aliquis) quem putamus peri&s;&s;e, praemi&s;&s;us e&s;t.</HI>
But to deliver this va&s;t controver&s;ie over to the Divines,
as touching the Immortality thereof, <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> are &s;uffici|ently
in&s;tructed;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Aonii <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">alcarii de A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ort. Carmina.</NOTE> and meer <HI>Rationali&s;ts</HI> as &s;ollidly con|vinced
in that learned aud renowned Piece of the ho|norable
Sir <HI>K. Digby.</HI> It remains onely, that we now
clo&s;e with, and qualifie the opinion of our Poet, who
where he treats on this &s;ubject, intends onely (a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> is
conjectured) the <HI>material</HI> &s;oul, not the <HI>Intellectual,</HI> which
<PB N="118" REF="60">
he imagined to be corporeal, as con&s;i&s;ting of certain con|current
<HI>ter&s;e</HI> and &s;moth <HI>Atomes,</HI> not much different from
tho&s;e whereof he makes fire to proceed; <HI>Corporibus
parvis &amp; levibus atque rotundis;</HI> which being reduced
into a <HI>tenuous</HI> and delicate Sub&s;tance,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Plat. 3. de pla|cit. 4.</NOTE> ea&s;ily diffu&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">h
it &s;elf throughout the whole ma&s;s, actuating and fur|ni&s;hing
it with all its pa&s;&s;ions, motions, and faculties,
as might be demon&s;trated more clearly from certain
pa&s;&s;ages in the third Book of our Ab&s;tru&s;e Author, who,
if (whil&s;t he thought to plant repo&s;e and recollection in
the mindes of men) he believed there was in earne&s;t no
<HI>Hell,</HI> or other entertainment of the &s;eparated &s;pirits; nor
therefore re&s;pects to be had to the <HI>Gods,</HI> it undoubtedly
proceeded from that infinite plurality of <HI>Deities, Idols,</HI>
and abu&s;ed fancies of the times, which really to a na|tural
man might exceedingly qualifie the &s;candal which
he took at the <HI>Religion</HI> of his times: for let us but &s;up|po&s;e
one of our wi&s;e&s;t men to have received his educati|on
with our Poet, would he (can we imagine) have
more believed the exi&s;tence of &s;o many <HI>Gods</HI> and <HI>God|de&s;&s;es,</HI>
born of the Heavens, Earth, and Seas, then <HI>Epi|curus,</HI>
who derided <HI>Pan,</HI> and the re&s;t of tho&s;e &s;anta&s;tick
<HI>Romances?</HI> Or is it rea&s;onable to entertain harder
thoughts of <HI>Lucretius,</HI> then of tho&s;e who &s;o bruti&s;hly
&s;acrificed unto them? <HI>Cicer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> impleads <HI>C. Verres,</HI> of adul|tery,
and yet does his devotions to <HI>Jupiter,</HI> who filled
both heaven and earth with his de&s;baucheries.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deorum &s;tupra. Euripides&punc;</NOTE> The truth
is, the <HI>Salians</HI> and <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> of <HI>Cybele,</HI> were not a jot more
veritable in their &s;trange <HI>Religion,</HI> and prodigious &s;uper|&s;titions,
notwith&s;tanding <HI>Leucippus, Empedocles, Epicurus,</HI>
and our Poet have &s;o hand&s;omely derided them,</P>
<LG>
<L>Qua propter bene c&ugrave;m &s;uperis de rebus habenda</L>
<L>Nobis e&s;t ratio; Solis, Lunae&abque; meatus</L>
<L>Qu&acirc; &s;iant ratione; &amp; qua vi quaeque geruntur</L>
<L>In terris, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>This &s;o, we'll fir&s;t inquire of things above,</L>
<L>The Rea&s;ons how the Sun and Moon do move.</L>
<L>By what force all things on the earth are &s;way'd.</L>
</LG>
<P>Since therefore &s;o it is, that by rea&s;on of an <HI>Epidemical</HI>
ignorance in natural cau&s;es, men are become &s;o &s;tupid,
and remain thus mi&s;etably pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">pl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">xt, we are re&s;olved
(proceeds <HI>Lucret<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">us</HI>) to take a general &s;urvey both of
<PB N="119" REF="60">
heaven and earth, to treat of the e&s;&s;ence of the &s;oul,
and what it is which makes us &s;o much afraid awake or
&s;leeping; as when we dream of people long &s;ince de|parted.
In &s;um,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid. Lact. de opific. dei. Lib. Latet au|tem mens oppre&s;&s;a &s;omno, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> his de&s;ign is to interpret the univer&s;al
<HI>nature of things,</HI> and ju&s;tifie the Title of his work,
which yet he confe&s;&s;eth is a task very difficult to under|take
in his native language, nothing &s;o copious and arti|ficial
as the &s;cientifick and exten&s;ive <HI>Greek.</HI></P>
<L>Multa novis verbis prae&s;ertim c&ugrave;m fit agendum,</L>
<L>Propter ege&s;tatem linguae, &amp; rerum novitat&eacute;m, &amp;c.</L>
<L>And principally &s;ince there is &s;o much</L>
<L>New terms requires, the novelty being &s;uch</L>
<L>Of th' matter, of our tongue the poverty.</L>
<P>And therefore might &s;ometimes be well allowed to
coyn a word for his need:<NOTE PLACE="marg">L. 3. de finibus &amp; ad Manil.</NOTE> <HI>cum uteretur in lingu&acirc; copio&s;&acirc;
factis tamen nominibus, ac novis, quod nobis in hoc inopi lin|gua
non concedit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">r, &amp;c.</HI> as <HI>Cato</HI> in <HI>Cicero</HI> explains it.</P>
<P>And yet &s;o great was his affection and friend&s;hip to
his Patron <HI>Memmius,</HI> that there &s;hould no difficulty
di&s;courage a re&s;olution to pre&s;ent him with a <HI>Scheme</HI> and
<HI>Cycle</HI> of Philo&s;ophy, as clear and manife&s;t as the beams
of the very Sun it &s;elf.</P>
<L>Res quibus occultas penitus, convi&s;ere po&s;sis:</L>
<L>Hunc igitur terrorem animi tenebra&s;&abque; nece&s;&s;e e&s;t, &amp;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">.</L>
<L>By who&s;e bright rays thou mai&s;t both &s;pecula<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e</L>
<L>Nature, and her deep &s;ecrets penetrate;</L>
<L>Dark fears of minde then bani&s;h quite away,</L>
<L>Not with the Sun-beams, or the light of day,</L>
<L>But by &s;uch &s;pecies as from nature flow,</L>
<L>And what from right informed rea&s;on grow.</L>
<P>And indeed 'tis a great truth, <GAP DESC="foreign">.
The Super&s;titious man is
religious and fainthearted. Away therefore (cryes
he) with tho&s;e vain apprehen&s;ions, <HI>primus in orbe
deos timor fecit,</HI> the con&s;iderations of death, and
<HI>hypochondriack</HI> fits of di&s;compo&s;ed per&s;ons; this we will
effect, not by the ayd of the Sun beams, the Lamp of
day, or a &s;uperficial view of things; but the &s;tudy
Phy&s;ilogie and Natural Rea&s;on, in which the <HI>Epicureans</HI>
believed to con&s;i&s;t the perfection and very top of all
humane felicity; for <HI>Ine&s;t in eadem explicatione naturae</HI>
<PB N="120" REF="61">
(&s;aith the <HI>Orator</HI>) <HI>in&s;atiabilis quaedam &egrave; cogno&s;cendis rebus
voluptas, in qu&acirc; una</HI> (without either dread of death, or
the troubles of Devotion, <HI>quod Epicuro videtur,</HI> as a
little before) <HI>confectis rebus nece&s;&s;ariis, vacui negotiis, ho|ne&s;t&egrave;,
ac liberaliter po&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">mus vivere.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Hunc igitur terrorem animi&mdash;&amp;c.</HI> which ver&s;e he frequent|ly
repeateth in the &s;econd, third, and &s;ixth Books; for
indeed it was his great Ma&s;ters doctrine, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
&amp;c. <HI>Si nihil
conturbaret nos, quod &s;u&s;picamur, veremurque ex rebus &s;ubli|mibus;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Diog. Laert. in vita Epic. l. 10.</NOTE>
<HI>neque item, quod ex ip&s;a morte, ne quando nimirum
ad nos pertineat aliquid: ac no&s;&s;e praeterea po&s;&s;emus qui germani
fines, dolorum atque cupiditatum &s;int.</HI> What then? <GAP DESC="foreign">,
we &s;hould all be perfect <HI>Phy&s;io|logers,</HI>
and emerge knowing men indeed. The <HI>Theory</HI>
and Contemplation whereof,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gordiano Bru. del Infinito univer&s;o in Epi&s;t. proemiali. His terro|ribus ab Epicuro &s;oluti non metui|mus Deos. Cic. l. de Nat. deorum.</NOTE> makes the rational (it may
be) more then religious <HI>Bruno,</HI> break out into the&s;e
expre&s;&s;ions, <HI>Dalla qual contemplatione</HI> (<HI>viz.</HI> that of Na|ture)
<HI>auverr&agrave;, che nullo strano accidente, ne di&s;metta per|dogla
&ocirc; timore, &amp;c ne e&s;togla, &amp;c.&mdash;onde haremo la
via vera alla vera immortalit&aacute; &s;aremo magnanimi, &s;preggiatori
di quel che fanciulle&s;chi pen&s;ieri qu&igrave; Dei che il cieco volgo
adora, perche dovenerremo veri contemplatori dell hi&s;toria de
la Natura&mdash;&amp;c.</HI> And a little after, not being able to
contain his <HI>Ec&s;ta&s;ies, Eccone dunque, &amp;c.</HI> Behold us then
indeed, beyond the power of Envy, free from the anxiety
of breathing after a good (as at a great di&s;tance from us)
which we even already po&s;&s;e&s;s &s;o neer our own doors.
Is not this the very voyce and hands of our <HI>Carus?</HI> For
hence it comes to pa&s;s (pur&s;ues our Poet) that when
men behold things, the rea&s;ons whereof exceed their
&s;lender capacity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lucr. l. 6.</NOTE></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Fieri divino Numine rentur, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>To a Cele&s;tial Author they're a&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">gn'd, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Whereas indeed, the Gods (&s;aith he) are little concern|ed
with it. But this hath been &s;ufficiently illu&s;trated
and confuted.</P>
<P>And hitherto hath our <HI>Carus</HI> prepared onely the
minde of his <HI>Memmius,</HI> and in him the <HI>Reader</HI> to a&s;&s;ent
to his <HI>Principles,</HI> which in the following Periods he
now propounds; and fir&s;t,</P>
<LG>
<PB N="121" REF="61">
<L>&mdash;Nihil po&s;&s;e creari</L>
<L>De nihilo&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>That Nought of Nought can be, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>This <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> hath cleared in his fir&s;t Book of <HI>Phy&s;icks,</HI>
to which there hath been &s;ince an univer&s;al con&s;ent; for
that it &s;hould be otherwi&s;e, <HI>quis hoc Phy&s;icus dixit unquam?</HI>
&s;aith <HI>Cicero;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">De divi|nit. l. 2.</NOTE> and how <HI>Aristotle,</HI> and all that have &s;ince
reverenced his <HI>dictates</HI> de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">end this Argument, every <HI>So|phi&s;ter</HI>
can tell. The &s;ub&s;equent ver&s;es of <HI>Lucretius</HI> were
almo&s;t the very expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Epicurus;</HI> for if every
thing had uncertain principles, <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c.</P>
<LG>
<L>Fierent ex omnibus rebus</L>
<L>Omne genus na&s;ci po&s;&s;et: nihil &s;emine egeret.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For if of nothing form'd, no u&s;e of &s;eed,</L>
<L>Since every &s;ort would from all things proceed.</L>
</LG>
<P>Nor needed there any &s;tated &s;ea&s;ons for the production
of things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid. Lact. delra dei.</NOTE> but we &s;hould pluck the blu&s;hing ro&s;e, and
gather the delicious fruits, as well in the mid&s;t of the
cold winter, as in the flowry &s;pring, and pregnant Au|tumn.
Our children and young &s;uckers &s;hould imme|diately
become tall men, and overgrown trees, &s;ince
there would ari&s;e no cau&s;e of any delay or retardation,
if things thus &s;prung from <HI>Nothing.</HI> But now (&s;aith he)
<HI>Natura non facit &s;altum,</HI> &s;he is not &s;o ha&s;ty, all things
operate gradually, and augment by little and little from
their peculiar and &s;pecifying &s;eeds or <HI>Atomes,</HI> which do
fir&s;t require a convenient &s;pace, and a very happy
chance, before they can propagate and encounter,</P>
<LG>
<L>Huc accedit, uti &s;ine certis imbribus anni</L>
<L>Laetificos nequ&eacute;at fetus &s;ummittere tellus:</L>
<L>N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"> porr&ograve;, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>So that unle&s;s &s;ome Annual &s;howers de&s;cend,</L>
<L>The Earth no fruits to humane u&s;e can lend,</L>
<L>Nor Animals, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>For all &s;eeds would putrifie in the bowels of the earth,
<PB N="122" REF="62">
nothing could &s;prout; or in ca&s;e it did ever appear above
ground, would immediately wither and dwindle away
to nothing. If things proceeded from nothing, they
would likewi&s;e need as little to a&s;&s;i&s;t them; <HI>Sine Cerere
&amp; Libero friget Venus;</HI> if they receive no nouri&s;hment,
neither can they propagate; and if things re&s;ult from
Nothing, they clearly need it not; or admit it could
be &s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aen. 3.</NOTE> Why then hath not Nature produced us more
races of the <HI>Gyants,</HI> &s;uch as the Poet hath &s;eigned the
<HI>Cyclopean</HI> breed, that could &s;talk over the &s;ea, and of
lives like <HI>Methu&s;ala, Artephius,</HI> or the wandring <HI>Jew?</HI>
&s;ince in Nature there could be no defect why the&s;e pro|d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ctions
&s;hould happen &s;o rarely: nor indeed any de|finite
magnitude or duration of Natural things, if men
&s;prung thus of Nothing; wherefore upon evidence of
the contrary, he concludes, That things have as well
their <HI>principles,</HI> as words their <HI>Elements</HI> whereof they
be compo&s;ed. La&s;tly,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Quoniam incultis prae&s;tare videmns</L>
<L>Culta loca, &amp; manibus meliores reddier fetus;</L>
<L>Quae nos, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Since then rich fields &s;urpa&s;s the Barren ground,</L>
<L>Which culture makes in choicer fruits abound.</L>
</LG>
<P>For if it were not &s;o, as good fruits might grow in
<HI>Greenland,</HI> and under the <HI>Polar Star,</HI> as in <HI>Per&ugrave;</HI> nor
would there be any further need of manuring the earth;
all which we finde to be mo&s;t experimentally fal&s;e.</P>
<P>The&s;e, with &s;ome other, were the Arguments which
the <HI>School</HI> of <HI>Epicurus</HI> had furni&s;hed, to prove that
<HI>Nothing</HI> could re&s;ult out of <HI>Nothing.</HI> And indeed to a
meer natural (though never &s;o di&s;cerning) man, 'twere
a truth undeniable, according to the cour&s;e of <HI>Nature,</HI>
I &s;ay, and the ordinary con&s;titution of things which
are generated by motion or tran&s;mutation; but to us
that are taught to confe&s;s the Omnipotency of the great
<HI>Lord of Nature,</HI> it is nothing difficult to believe how
&s;omething was fir&s;t made by &s;imple <HI>Emanation;</HI> that is,
by <HI>Creation. Voluntas Dei</HI> (&s;aith S. <HI>Aug.</HI>) <HI>e&s;t cau&s;a Coeli
&amp; terrae:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 6.</NOTE> God educed light out of the ob&s;curity which
involved the <HI>Chaos;</HI> which was certainly created im|mediately
out of Nothing; for it had no means pro|portional
to it; and of what materials the <HI>Glorified Spirits</HI>
<PB N="123" REF="62">
were made (&s;etting a&s;ide the <HI>Rabbinical</HI> conceits) it is no
where apparently delivered us. Clearly therefore, God
created the world out of the praeexi&s;tent <HI>Chaos,</HI> and
that <HI>Chaos</HI> or matter of <HI>Tohu,</HI> nothing; as it is excel|lently
and elegantly expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>Lactantius,</HI> a|gain&s;t
that of <HI>Cicero</HI> and <HI>Seneca,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">De Orig. Error. lib. 2.</NOTE> which I would here
recite at large, were it not already done to my hand,
though long &s;ince the writing of the&s;e Animadver&s;ions,
by an ingenious per&s;on, treating upon this &s;ubject out
of <HI>Ga&s;&s;endus.</HI></P>
<P>And thus <HI>Lucretius</HI> having fini&s;hed his Argument, a&s;|&s;umes
the following, That as Nothing proceeds of No|thing,
&s;o is Nothing annihilated.</P>
<LG>
<L>Huc accedit, uti quaeque in &s;ua Corpora rur&s;um</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;olvat natura, neque ad nihilum interimat res.</L>
<L>Adde unto this, Nature to their fir&s;t &s;tate</L>
<L>Doth all di&s;&s;olve, Nothing annihilate.</L>
</LG>
<P>Which <HI>Per&s;ius</HI> thus expre&s;&s;es,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sat. 3.</NOTE></P>
<LG>
<L>De Nihil, Nihil, in Nihilum, Nil po&s;&s;e reverti:</L>
</LG>
<P>For he held them to be &s;olid, &s;imple and permanent;
therefore &s;ince they never reverted into their fir&s;t <HI>prin|ciples,</HI>
it is evident, &s;aith he, that of them they con|&s;i&s;ted.
Be&s;ides, if we admit them reducible to nothing,
what &s;hould hinder their in&s;tantaneous de&s;truction, w^c^h
might undoubtedly annihilate them without the lea&s;t
force or cau&s;e given them; for in <HI>Nothing,</HI> as there is no
action, &s;o neither is there re&s;i&s;tance, nor any delay of
time at all, which might impede their in&s;tantaneous
di&s;compo&s;ure; all which the lei&s;urely failing, and mi|nute
decay of things doth experimentally oppugn.</P>
<LG>
<L>Praeterea, quaecun&abque; vetu&s;tate amovet aetas,</L>
<L>Si penitus perimit, con&s;umens materiem omnem:</L>
<L>&V;nde animale genus generatim in Lumina vitae</L>
<L>Red<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">lucit Venus?&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Be&s;ide, what things are with their ages pa&s;t,</L>
<L>If time did kill, and all their matter wa&s;t,</L>
<L>Whence doth &s;weet <HI>Venus</HI> give to &s;ouls new birth</L>
<L>Through all their kindes?&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>As if he &s;hould &s;ay, how is it po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Generation,
Alteration, Augmentation</HI> and &s;upply of things, &s;hould
<PB N="124" REF="63">
&s;ucceed in the world, if things thus annihilate; for
both the Seas, Rivers and fountains had been long ere
this dryed up, and utterly exhau&s;ted. Be&s;ide,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;&V;nde aether &s;idera pa&s;cit?</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Stars, how are they nouri&s;h'd in the skies?</L>
</LG>
<P>Whence that of <HI>Virgil&mdash;Polus dum &s;idera pa&s;cet.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Aen. 1.</NOTE> For
we mu&s;t under&s;tand that &s;ome Philo&s;ophers, as <HI>Cleanthes
Anaximander, Diony&s;ius, Epicurus</HI> and divers others,
&s;uppo&s;ed the&s;e Cele&s;tial bodies to receive nouri&s;hment
from the thinner and more &s;ubtil part of the ayr named
<HI>aether;</HI> as in this place our Poet from <HI>terrene</HI> evaporations
and exhalations of the Sea: And therefore it is very
pretty what &s;ome conceited, that the oblique motion
w^c^h the <HI>Sun</HI> ob&s;erved from one <HI>Tropique</HI> to another, was
onely to finde out drink and humor wherewithal to re|fre&s;h
his extreme thir&s;t; as if he were &s;ome <HI>African</HI> Tyger,
hunting out the &s;prings of the parched de&s;arts; which
opinion albeit <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> &s;eems to deride; yet &s;aith <HI>Cicero,
Cum &s;ol &amp; ingens &s;it,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">De Nat. Deor.</NOTE> <HI>Oceani&abque; alatur humoribus, quia nullus ig|nis
&s;ine pa&s;tu aliquo po&s;&s;it permanere: nece&s;&s;e e&s;t aut ei &s;imilis &s;it
igni, quem adhibemus ad u&s;um atque victum: aut ei, qui cor|poribus
animantium continetur</HI> (it follows) <HI>probabile<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,
igitur e&s;t prae&s;tantem intelligentiam in &s;ideribus e&s;&s;e, quae &amp;
aetheream mundi partem incolant, &amp; marinis, terreni&s;&abque; hu|moribus
longo intervallo extenuatis alantur.</HI> For to omit
the drunken <HI>Catch</HI> in <HI>Anacre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">n,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c.
'tis very evident, that (be&s;ides the &s;ore-rehear&s;ed) <HI>Se|neca</HI>
was of this faith, as may be collected out of his
&s;ixth Book of <HI>Nat. quae&s;t. c.</HI> 16. and <HI>Plutarch</HI> in <HI>Libello de
I&s;ide;</HI> as al&s;o <HI>Plinie</HI> in <HI>hi&s;t. Nat. l.</HI> 2. <HI>c.</HI> 9. <HI>Sydera ver&ograve; haud
dubie humore terreno pa&s;ci &amp;c.</HI> which albeit our <HI>Schools</HI> de|ny,
as in relation to the Earth, yet &s;ome excellent mo|dern
<HI>Inquirers</HI> are very magi&s;terial, that the warers a|bove
the Convexity of the heavens perform it; of which
opinion I finde our Countrey-man <HI>Lydiat,</HI> in his <HI>praelect.
A&s;tronom.</HI> and Book <HI>de origine fontium, c.</HI> 10. and of later
date our <HI>Cabbali&s;tical</HI> and ingenious <HI>Moor;</HI> as if by this
means (<HI>viz</HI> a Percolation through tho&s;e glorious bodies)
a continual &s;upply of <HI>Ayr</HI> for the furniture of <HI>Nature</HI>
were derived.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Patritius de Coelor. numero, l. 12.</NOTE> To which doctrine (I conceive) may
appo&s;itely be cited tho&s;e conceits of the <HI>Rabbies,</HI> and
&s;ome ancient Philo&s;ophers who attribute <HI>Animum &amp;
<PB N="125" REF="63">
Intellectum,</HI> nay the very members and di&s;cour&s;e of men to
them; as <HI>Albubechar</HI> fancies <HI>in lib Chai Beu Ikthan, part.</HI> 5.
and <HI>R. Mo&s;es Maimon de fundamentis legis, c.</HI> 3. But to let
the&s;e pa&s;s as to the nouri&s;hment from hence, that the <HI>Sun</HI>
(not <HI>Stars</HI>) is really a material fire, and hath a &s;ufficient
and never-failing <HI>pabulum</HI> from its own &s;ub&s;tance and
body,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> He|velius Se|lenogr. Scheiner in Ro&s;a &V;r&s;ina. l. 4. Fr. Pa|tritius, l. 19. Reita &agrave; Tallea|cotio in Meteorol. l. 1. de Met<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ign. c. 10.</NOTE> I nothing at all doubt; and of which there might
be more &s;aid, if we had arrived to the fifth Book of our
pre&s;ent <HI>Author,</HI> whil&s;t the following Argument &s;erves
onely to pre&s;s the &s;olidity and immortality of his un|impeachable
<HI>Principles;</HI> and that even tho&s;e Bodies and
<HI>Concretes</HI> which are compo&s;ed of them, remain like|wi&s;e
&s;afe, till &s;ome force competent and proportionable
to this their compo&s;ition and texture arrive. La&s;tly,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Pereunt imbres, ubi eos pater aether</L>
<L>In gremium matris terrai praecipitavit, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Tho&s;e &s;howers which Heaven father-like doth &s;end</L>
<L>Down on our Mother Earth, there &s;eem to end.</L>
</LG>
<P>The late <HI>Nardius</HI> Syllogizes thus, If there be any
thing in the world which &s;eems totally to peri&s;h and
annihilate, it is a &s;hower of rain, which de&s;cending in|to
the bowels of the Earth, is never after &s;een any more;
becau&s;e it is drunk up by her many thir&s;ty jaws: but yet
after a while, we behold it &s;pringing up again into a
thou&s;and varieties, and natural productions in a mo&s;t
wonderful maner. <HI>Ergo,</HI>
<Q><L>Cuncta &s;uos ortus repetunt, matrem&abque; requirunt.</L></Q>
There is nothing undoubtedly peri&s;hes, but one thing
&s;upplies the other, and by this circulation; as <HI>Virgil</HI>
&s;peaks of the Serpentine year,
<Q><L>&mdash;In &s;e &s;ua per Vestigia volvitur annus.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Geor. 2.</NOTE></L></Q>
It treads in the &s;ame &s;teps again; the Ocean is repleni&s;h|ed
by the Rivers, the Earth by the di&s;&s;olution and re|ver&s;ion
of tho&s;e bodies which derive their original and
nutrition from her; nay <HI>Death</HI> it &s;elf doth not &s;o de&s;troy
bodies,
<Q><L>&mdash;&V;t materiai</L>
<L>Corpora conficiat, &s;ed coe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">um di&s;&s;ipat ollis.</L></Q>
<PB N="126" REF="64">
To u&s;e our Poets expre&s;&s;ion in the following Book; or
as the <HI>Tragoedian</HI> hath be&s;t expounded it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eurip.</NOTE></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Genitum nihil emoritur</L>
<L>Sed tran&s;po&s;itum ultro citro&abque;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Ma|crobius, l. 2. c. 12. de &s;om. Scip.</NOTE></L>
<L>Formam priorem alterat,</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Nothing that's born doth dye,</L>
<L>But being tran&s;po&s;ed here, and there</L>
<L>Another form and &s;hape does bear.</L>
</LG>
<P>So that the <HI>Species</HI> are &s;till pre&s;erved by a continual &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion
of new <HI>Individuals,</HI> and every portion of every
Element immediately tran&s;mutable into their contigu|ous
and next-neighboring. Infinite more might be added
to this Argument, but I conceive what we have &s;aid &s;uffi|cient
to prove, that there is nothing which doth <HI>penitus
perire.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Quando aliud ex alio reficit natura; nec ullam</L>
<L>Rem gigni patitur, ni&s;i morte adjuta aliena.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Since Nature one thing from another makes,</L>
<L>Nor is there ought indeed which &s;he &s;upplie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"></L>
<L>Without the aid of &s;omething el&s;e that dies.</L>
</LG>
<P>All things in this world, <HI>aut corvi &s;un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">t Cadavera,</HI> as <HI>Pe|tronius</HI>
with a little alteration: for &s;o concludes the <HI>Poet,</HI>
&amp; &s;o the <HI>Divine, ut Deus ex nihilo contra rationis &amp; naturae le|ges
cuncta creavit: ita in nihilum abire rerum creatarum aliqua
nunquam pote&s;t, ni&s;i contra rationis naturae&abque; leges per &s;uperna|turalem
Dei potentiam fiat.</HI> W^c^h opinion I remember the re|verend
D. <HI>Hackwel</HI> (who hath &s;aid al that can be produc'd
on this very Argument) thus confirms,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apol. l. 5. p. 159.</NOTE> That as Almighty
God proceeded in the works of the Creation, by bring|ing
the world from nothing to &s;omething without
means; &s;o no doubt but he may, and in all likelihood
will, without means reduce it from &s;omething to no|thing,
that &s;o the end may in all points hold corre&s;pon|dency
with the beginning, and both be known to be his
immediate work.</P>
<LG>
<L>Ne qua forte tamen coeptis diffidere dictis:</L>
<L>Q<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">od nequeunt oculis rerum primordia cerni, &amp;c.</L>
<L><PB N="127" REF="64">
Lea&s;t yet thou &s;hould&s;t my Arguments diffide</L>
<L>Becau&s;e that Elements cannot be &s;py'd</L>
<L>By humane eyes&mdash;&amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>For our <HI>Poet,</HI> notwith&s;tanding all this, jealous le&s;t his
Reader might be &s;candaliz'd at his a&s;&s;ertion, becau&s;e the
<HI>Principles</HI> he &s;o much contends for, con&s;i&s;t of things al|together
invi&s;ible, readily produces an in&s;tance from
the <HI>winds,</HI> and the effects thereof; which though they
con&s;i&s;t indeed of <HI>Atomes</HI> altogether incon&s;picuous to
our weak organs, yet do their mon&s;trous effects (which
he there compares to that of precipitating Rivers and
Cataracts, which have violated their banks, and &s;poil'd
the adjacent places) prove them to be bodies. All
which he doth mo&s;t elegantly expre&s;s, imitated by that
of the inimitable <HI>Virgil,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Aut rapidus montano flumine torrens</L>
<L>Sternit agros,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aen. 2.</NOTE> Sternit &s;ata laeta, bo&uacute;m&abque; labores, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>As when a raging torrent ru&s;hes down</L>
<L>Lodges the Corn and Plowmens toil doth drown.</L>
</LG>
<P>For indeed incredible it is what &s;uch <HI>Euroclydons, Turbo's</HI>
and <HI>Whirlwinds</HI> can perform, when (as the &s;ame Poet
expre&s;&s;es it)</P>
<LG>
<L>&V;na Euru&s;&abque;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Aen. 1. &amp;: Luc. l. 5.</NOTE> Notu&s;&abque; ruunt creber&abque; procellis</L>
<L>Africus &amp; va&s;tos volvunt ad littora fluctus.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Ea&s;t, South; South-we&s;t-winds, ru&s;hing at once roare</L>
<L>In fearful gu&s;ts-huge billows rowl to th'&s;hore.</L>
</LG>
<P>And that the <HI>Cardinals</HI> meet together. I &s;hall not need
to a&s;&s;emble many accidents of the power of winds, tho&s;e
that have been on the Deep have there beheld it; and
who&s;oever has read of the <HI>Pre&s;ter</HI> or <HI>Hurocan</HI> that hapned
at <HI>Naples,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See Sir</HI> F. D. re|divivus.</NOTE> Anno 1343. or the tranfrentation of our re|nowned
<HI>Drake</HI> through the Streights of <HI>Magellan</HI> into
the <HI>South Sea,</HI> may imagine &s;uch a de&s;cription of a &s;torm,
as I think was never before recorded in any Hi&s;tory. But
to &s;hew what the winds can do at Land as well as at Sea,
and that neerer home, <HI>Jo. Stow</HI> in the life of <HI>W. Rufus,</HI>
reports for a certain, that in the year 1095. it overthrew
<PB N="128" REF="65">
at <HI>London</HI> no le&s;s then 600 hou&s;es, and blew off the roof
of <HI>Bow-Church,</HI> which, together with its va&s;t beams and
timber-work, flew like &s;o many feathers in the ayr, to
&s;o incredible an height, that &s;ix of them, being 27
foot in length, with their fall pitched them&s;elves 23 foot
deep in the Streets (which lay then unpaved) a thing al|mo&s;t
exceeding belief; and yet certainly this wind was
no otherwi&s;e &s;een then by its terrible effects. Tho&s;e
who are curious of more in&s;tances of this nature,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Olaus Magnus l. 1. c. 4, 5.</NOTE> may
con&s;ult <HI>Olaus Magnus</HI> his <HI>Northern Hist. lib.</HI> 1. <HI>de Vehemen|tia
Venti Circii,</HI> and <HI>De Septentrionalium Ventorum vio|lentia,
&amp;c. Plato</HI> in his <HI>Timaeo</HI> (who compo&s;eth all things
of <HI>tetrahedrical</HI> and <HI>hexahedrical</HI> Corpu&s;cles) will have
us to conceive the&s;e pui&s;&s;ant principles &s;o &s;mall, thin,
and minute, that they remain altogether <GAP DESC="foreign">, indi&s;|cernable,
except when they are aggregated of many, as
we may imagine them to be in a mountain, where their
angles are of another cut. And in like &s;ort our <HI>Poet</HI>
here in the following in&s;tances of <HI>Odors, Heat, Cold,</HI> the
penetration of the voyce, &amp;c.</P>
<LG>
<L>Quae tamen omnia corporea con&s;tare nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Natura; quoniam &s;en&s;us impellere po&s;&s;unt.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Which of corporeal nature yet con&s;i&s;t,</L>
<L>For they the Sen&s;e affect 'tis manife&s;t.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But to proceed,</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Tangere enim &amp; tangi, ni&s;i corpus, nulla pote&s;tres.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Touch and be Toucht, nought &s;ave a body may.</L>
</LG>
<P>This was a Propo&s;ition e&s;tabli&s;hed by <HI>Epicurus;</HI> and
the tenent is &s;o <HI>Catholique,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ar. 4. Phy&s;.</NOTE> that no Philo&s;opher ever
made doubt of it; <HI>viz.</HI> as it is a contact of two bodies,
<HI>&s;ecundum &s;uperficiem,</HI> by which the &s;en&s;ation is made. Our
Poet goes on to illu&s;trate his former a&s;&s;ertion, by the
in&s;en&s;ible evaporation of moy&s;ture in wet cloath, or
&s;ails di&s;played in the Sun: as al&s;o by the curious decre|ment
of &s;uch things as we continually touch and handle:
&s;uch are rings long worn upon our fingers, and &s;tones
wa&s;ted by the frequent and unce&s;&s;ant di&s;tillation of wa|ter,
according to that old one,
<Q><L>Gutta cavat Lapidem,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ovid.</NOTE> non vi, &s;ed &s;aepe cadendo.</L></Q>
<PB N="129" REF="65">
Iron it &s;elf, and paved ways dimini&s;h by the perpetual
u&s;e; nay, our very delicate and &s;ofter ki&s;&s;es make im|pre&s;&s;ions
on the harde&s;t Figures of Bra&s;s and Mettal;
For they u&s;ed to place Statues in the Porches before
their hou&s;es. Hence <HI>Seneca, Non facit nobilem atrium
plenum fumo&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s imaginibus: animus est qui facit nobilem.</HI>
And <HI>Martial,</HI>
<Q><L>Atria&abque; immodicis artat imaginibus.</L></Q>
Over which they had al&s;o their <HI>Titles</HI> or <HI>Pedigrees</HI> en|graven,
<HI>&V;t eorum virtutes po&s;teri non &s;ol&ugrave;m legerent, ver&ugrave;m
imitarentur. Valerius. l.</HI> 5. <HI>c.</HI> 8. And then for the touching
of them, it was by ki&s;sing them, as <HI>Cicero</HI> in <HI>Verrem. l.</HI> 5,
&s;peaking of that rare Statue of <HI>Hercules</HI> in bra&s;s. And
<HI>Lip&s;ius Electorum, l,</HI> 2. citing this of our Author&mdash;</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Tum portaes propter, aena</L>
<L>Signa,&mdash;&amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>Saith, <HI>Saepe etiam eminus o&s;culabantur: porrecta manu.</HI>
What reverence they bore them, may al&s;o be ga|thered
from that pa&s;&s;age in <HI>Minutius</HI> his <HI>Octavius.</HI>
And it &s;eems it was a cu&s;tom, that tho&s;e who went out
of the Cities, and return'd into them, were u&s;ed to &s;a|lute
the <HI>Images</HI> of their Gods (which were frequently
placed at the Gates of great Towns) with a ki<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">&punc; and
indeed, where&s;oever they &s;aw them. The like did they
to the Effigies of their Patrons, placed over their <HI>Pa|laces,</HI>
which their <HI>Sycophants</HI> u&s;ed to ki&s;s and complement
as often as they went in and out: of which maner of
&s;aluting, <HI>Martial</HI> in <HI>Epi&s;t. l.</HI> 4. &s;omewhere taketh notice
of; and <HI>Alciat</HI> in his <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>juris, l.</HI> 8. <HI>c.</HI> 10. in imi|tation
whereof, peradventure the Arms or Statues of
the <HI>Cardinal Patron</HI> is to this day in <HI>Rome</HI> &s;o frequently
placed over every Favorites Gate. And as for the im|pre&s;&s;ion
which ki&s;&s;es make, I my &s;elf have &s;een at <HI>Rome,</HI>
and other places, &s;uper&s;titious <HI>Devota's</HI> even wear the
very marbles of reputed Holy Places and Shrines with
the often ki&s;&s;ing and touching them, particularly the
<HI>Scala Santa</HI> near <HI>St. Jo&punc; de Laterano, &amp;c.</HI> And this I rather
take to be the meaning of this place, then that they
&s;hould be Rings, Knockers, or other Ornaments of
Doors and Gates, as <HI>Nardius</HI> &s;eems to interpret.</P>
<P>But as things <HI>wear</HI> thus in&s;en&s;ibly away by decrement,
<PB N="130" REF="66">
&s;o do they al&s;o as &s;trangely delude our curio&s;ity by In|crement
and Augmentation. Touching which Addi|tionals,
as we perceive not how we our &s;elves decay,
become lean, and con&s;ume; &s;o neither do we di&s;cover
how we grow tall and burni&s;h; nor how trees &s;hoot up
to that mon&s;trous height and bulk; and particularly,
that as the corro&s;ive &s;al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ne&s;s of the <HI>Ocean</HI> frets away the
very rocks in &s;ome places; &s;o in other again, the &s;tones
and quaries them&s;elves do manife&s;tly increa&s;e: as may
be &s;een in a certain Well in <HI>Somer&s;et&s;hire</HI> called <HI>Ochy-holle,</HI>
the petri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ying Well at <HI>Knaresborow</HI> near <HI>York,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide He|vernium. H. ab He|res. Dr Jor|dan. Ma|ginum. Boetium. &amp;c.</NOTE> in many
parts of <HI>Derby-&s;hire,</HI> and as I my &s;elf have beheld in the
<HI>Cave Goutiere</HI> near <HI>Tours</HI> in <HI>France,</HI> from which rock I
brought away many mor&s;els which the water had aug|mented,
&s;uperinducing a <HI>vi&s;cid calculous</HI> humor, or mat|ter
like &s;cales, or new coa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s upon them, through the
unce&s;&s;ant trickling of a cold &s;pring, very <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ar in the
bowels of the earth, to which we were lighted by
torches. Not to omit tho&s;e &s;tately pillars of the high
<HI>Altar</HI> in St. <HI>Chry&s;ogono's</HI> Church at <HI>Tra&s;tevere</HI> in <HI>Rome,</HI>
which &s;eeming to have been formed of the pure&s;t <HI>orien|tal
alaba&s;ter,</HI> the <HI>Friers</HI> a&s;&s;ured us were made of con|jealed
water, accidentally found in an old <HI>Aquaeduct,</HI>
among&s;t who&s;e ruines they were digging. I could rea|dily
produce other in&s;tances of this nature. But that
Rocks and Stones them&s;elves grow, and daily increa&s;e,
I think no Philo&s;opher can doubt. Tho&s;e extravagant
&s;hells, and pretty curio&s;ities which we finde in the very
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">trails of &s;ome of them broken, do (methinks) evi|dently
di&s;cover that they were &s;ometimes inclo&s;ed in a
&s;ofter and le&s;s copious matter.</P>
<P>Now the cau&s;e of this <HI>Petrifying</HI> property, is a <HI>&s;tony|juice;</HI>
for the <HI>water</HI> which contains the <HI>Seeds</HI> of &s;o many
things, <HI>that of &s;tones</HI> doth e&s;pecially <HI>coagulate</HI> therein,
producing tho&s;e wonderful varieties which we daily en|counter:
&s;ome <HI>diaphanous</HI> and tran&s;parent, other <HI>dull</HI>
and <HI>opake,</HI> according to the purity or impurity of that
<HI>lapide&s;cent</HI> humor (and the <HI>vapors</HI>) which happ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ns to <HI>&s;ub|&s;ide</HI>
in their <HI>Matrixes</HI> and <HI>Cavities</HI> wherein they are hard|ned
by the <HI>Sun</HI> and the <HI>Ayr:</HI> And hence it is, that they
have ob&s;erved the rea&s;on why divers <HI>In&s;ects, Leaves,
Straws,</HI> and the like, are &s;o frequently found even in
the very bodies of &s;tones: an admirable collection where|of
is &s;hewed (among&s;t other <HI>Rarities</HI>) by <HI>Signor Rugini</HI>
an <HI>Illu&s;tri&s;.</HI> of <HI>Venice.</HI> Thus it chances that many <HI>Plants,</HI>
<PB N="131" REF="66">
and pieces of <HI>Wood,</HI> nay <HI>Fi&s;hes, Bea&s;ts,</HI> and even
<HI>Men</HI> them&s;elves (<HI>Niobe</HI>-like) have been &s;ometimes found
<HI>Metamorpho&s;ed,</HI> and plainly <HI>Lapide&s;cere (&s;ubeunte puriore
humore)</HI> in&s;inuating its <HI>lapidious particles</HI> into the pores
of &s;uch &s;ub&s;tances, by which they become in time &s;o
united to them, that they do even <HI>induere Lapideam na|turam.</HI>
For indeed the <HI>principia &s;oluta</HI> of all things
are in a liquid <HI>form,</HI> however in <HI>&s;tones</HI> they become &s;o
exceedingly <HI>concrete;</HI> as was curiou&s;ly ob&s;erved by <HI>Jo:
Brunus</HI> the <HI>French Chyrurgeon</HI> mentioned <HI>in vita Peireskii,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">L. 4 p. 250.</NOTE>
who having taken three &s;tones from a <HI>childe,</HI> the fir&s;t that
came was altogether <HI>hard,</HI> the &s;econd <HI>&s;oft,</HI> but the la&s;t
almo&s;t <HI>fluid,</HI> and little more <HI>con&s;i&s;tent</HI> then a <HI>jelly;</HI> which
yet, after a few days, became as hard as the re&s;t: Not
to repeat what is there &s;poken al&s;o of the <HI>flexible Whet|&s;tone,</HI>
mentioned by the &s;ame <HI>Author,</HI> &amp;c. And thus it is
(without que&s;tion) that tho&s;e innumerable quantities
of <HI>&s;tones</HI> are engendered upon many <HI>Plains</HI> and places
(e&s;pecially &s;uch as are obnoxious to &s;limy <HI>Inundations</HI>)
which gathered off never &s;o indu&s;triou&s;ly, are yet with|in
a &s;hort time covered as plentifully with them again,
receiving their variety of form by their <HI>receptacles, vo|lutation,
detrition,</HI> and often <HI>breakings,</HI> whil&s;t their <HI>mat|ter</HI>
(as we affirmed) was not yet arrived to that perfect
<HI>concretion</HI> it afterward attained,</P>
<LG>
<L>Corporibus caecis igitur natura gerit res.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Nature with bodies then un&s;een to th'eye,</L>
<L>All things doth manage&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>With which our <HI>Carus</HI> concludes this pre&s;ent Argu|ment.</P>
<P>We are now arrived to that great <HI>Vacuum,</HI> which hath
for &s;o many ages exerci&s;ed the pens aud enquiries of the
mo&s;t refined &s;pirits; but in order to the <HI>end</HI> propo&s;ed by
our <HI>Poet,</HI> it will not be irrequi&s;ite, that &s;omething were
fir&s;t &s;poken concerning <HI>Atomes:</HI> And indeed there was
long &s;ince <HI>this,</HI> and much more prepared to have been de|livered
upon this occa&s;ion, and &s;ome others which of ne|ce&s;&s;ity
will follow it; yet &s;ince there are lately extant
&s;o many ample <HI>volumes</HI> upon the &s;ubjects, &s;ome of them
not &s;trangers to our tongue, I &s;hould totally have for|born
to repeat (as I will onely touch them)&punc; could the
frame of this di&s;cour&s;e (which hath &s;o long &s;lept by me)
<PB N="132" REF="67">
have &s;upported &s;o con&s;iderable an imperfection as the
total omi&s;&s;ion of &s;aying &s;omething would have amount|ed
to.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t that brought this Doctrine into credit was
<HI>Leucippus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide Gal. in hi&s;t. Philo&s;o|phica.</NOTE> I &s;ay, before <HI>Democritus,</HI> as <HI>Plutarch, Laertius,
Tully,</HI> and others affirm; &s;o that even <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> tells us,
the opinion was exceeding rife in his time: Now as <HI>Epi|curus</HI>
from tho&s;e, &s;o our Poet from <HI>Epicurus</HI> hath con&s;ti|tuted
them for the very <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Principles,</HI> and
<HI>incompo&s;itas</HI> of all <HI>Natural</HI> things what&s;oever. I am clear|ly
of opinion, that the <HI>Pythagorean</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, or <HI>unites,</HI>
were neer of kin to the&s;e <HI>Atomes:</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
&s;omething <HI>in&s;ecable</HI> it was, indi&s;&s;oluble, and perfectly
&s;ollid.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nomen ex &agrave; privati|va parti|cula &amp; <GAP DESC="foreign"> di|vido. Tam min. ta ut nulla &s;it acies ferri tam &s;ub|tilis, qua|&s;ecari, ac dividi po&s;&s;int. Lact. de Ira dei.</NOTE> And yet by the way, we mu&s;t not conceive (as
many have dream<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">) that they con&s;i&s;ted of points &s;o nice|ly
indivi&s;ible, as it they retained no magnitude at all;
but &s;uch rather as in re&s;pect of their &s;trict compacted|ne&s;s,
no force what&s;oever is able to &s;eparate, <HI>non quod,
minima, &s;ed quod non po&s;&s;it dividi;</HI>
<GAP DESC="foreign">; and therefore that which is taught of the <GAP DESC="foreign">, or
<HI>Materia prima</HI> by the <HI>Schools,</HI> as to the incorruptibility
thereof, we may &s;afely &s;uppo&s;e concerning the&s;e, with
this onely difference, That <HI>Epicurus</HI> determines into
what nature their re&s;olutions fix; <HI>viz. ad in&s;ectilia Cor|pu&s;cula,</HI>
or <HI>Atomes,</HI> which none of the <HI>Peripatetikes</HI>
have any where de&s;cribed touching their <HI>Principles.</HI> But
then again, That the&s;e <HI>Elements</HI> &s;hould be thus <GAP DESC="foreign">,
the very original of all things what&s;oever, as is
the <HI>&s;eed</HI> of <HI>Animals,</HI> &s;eems in truth, &s;omething diffi|cult
to admit.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. l. 2. c. 9. Plu|tarch. de plac. phil. l. 2 c 4. De die Natali. c. 3. Archilaus phy&s; Avi|cen, &amp;c.</NOTE> For <HI>Epicurus</HI> held, that even <HI>Man</HI> him|&s;elf
&s;prung at fir&s;t out of the womb of our common Mo|ther
the <HI>Earth,</HI> and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ater, olerum more,</HI> and out of the
<HI>Par&s;ley-bed,</HI> as we &s;ay, like the productions of the <HI>Cad|mean</HI>
teeth, or rather after the manner that the mon&s;ters
of the mud of <HI>Nilus, Mu&s;hrums,</HI> and other fungous ex|cre&s;cences
ari&s;e, as <HI>Cen&s;orinus</HI> and others recite.</P>
<L>Cre&s;cebant uteri terrae radicibus apti. <HI>So our Poe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> l&punc; 5.</L>
<P>That of <HI>Diogenes Laertius in Democrito,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
&amp;c. that <HI>Void</HI> and
<HI>Atomes</HI> were the <HI>Principles</HI> of all things (which makes
<HI>Leucippus, Plutarch, Cicero,</HI> and the re&s;t &s;eem, as it were,
to deliver that the&s;e two were the very <HI>Elementa rerum
generalium</HI>) is upon no hand to be &s;o under&s;tood, &s;ince
<PB N="133" REF="67">
we are onely to receive <HI>Atomes</HI> upon this account, to
which <HI>Vacuum</HI> affords nothing be&s;ides place and di&s;cri|mination.
For albeit indeed we finde it mixed with all
bodies, yet we are in no wi&s;e to admit it as any con&s;ti|tuent
part of them, and therefore <HI>Plutarch</HI> wittily ex|pre&s;&s;es
<HI>Corpus</HI> by <GAP DESC="foreign">&punc; and <HI>Inane</HI> by <GAP DESC="foreign">, as if he
would have &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. adu. Colot.</NOTE> <HI>abody</HI> is &s;omething, <HI>void</HI> nothing: which
&s;en&s;e, we mu&s;t be &s;ure to carry about us throughout the
Poet. In the mean time there is a middle and more pro|bable
opinion, as &s;ome conceive, who allowing of no
&s;uch <HI>Atomes,</HI> pitch upon <HI>In&s;en&s;ible parts infinitely divi&s;ible,</HI>
which being u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ited with many, become <HI>&s;en&s;ible.</HI> Now
to proceed how the&s;e <HI>Atomes</HI> were fancied to be hurried
about in that immen&s;e inanity, wherein was neither ex|treme,
top, middle, nor any bound; how &s;ome of them
being light, &s;ome &s;harp, others round, angular, crooked,
&amp;c. fell into that goodly form of the heavens and earth,
by a certain fortuitous <HI>coition,</HI> encounter, and happy con|cour&s;e
we &s;hall demon&s;trate more at large in its proper
place; having here onely cleared the meaning of the
notion, whil&s;t we proceed with our <HI>Poet;</HI> who that we
may the better comprehend it, tells us fir&s;t, that
there is</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;In rebus inane</L>
<L>Quod tibi c&oacute;gno&s;&s;e in multis erit utile rebus, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;A Void in things</L>
<L>Which rightly to conceive much profit brings.</L>
</LG>
<P>Seeing there would el&s;e want room&punc; for his e&s;tabli&s;hed
<HI>Principles</HI> to move in. This therefore our <HI>Poet</HI> &s;ignifies
frequently by the name of <HI>Locus, Place;</HI> not as <HI>Logici|ans</HI>
under&s;tand that term, where we never encounter it
without a body, but conceive it as ab&s;olutely devoid of
body, as the Principles or <HI>Atomes</HI> them&s;elves are &s;ollid,
compact, and without the lea&s;t imaginable <HI>vacu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ty&punc; Ari|&s;totle</HI>
names it <GAP DESC="foreign">, the &s;pace of body,
we may happily Engli&s;h it <HI>Room.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Qua propter locus e&s;t intactus, inane, vacan&s;&abque;</L>
<L>Quod &s;i non e&s;&s;et, nulla ratione moveri</L>
<L>Res po&s;&s;int, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="134" REF="68">
<L>&mdash;Therefore there is a place</L>
<L>Intangible and void, el&s;e in no ca&s;e</L>
<L>Could ought be mov'd, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>If there be motion, there mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be a void;
for &s;o <HI>Epicurus</HI> Syllogizes, <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c. nor were
it otherwi&s;e po&s;&s;ible that a body could &s;ub&s;i&s;t in place al|ready
a&s;&s;umed, without the di&s;location or thru&s;ting &s;ome
other body out of the place pre-occupied and taken up,
to &s;alve the ab&s;urdity of <HI>penetration;</HI> and therefore un|le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s
the fir&s;t body recede to the &s;ucceeding, there could
be no &s;uch thing as any principle of motion or <HI>lation;</HI>
neither indeed could any thing proceed and &s;tir any
more, then tho&s;e flints and extravagant &s;hells, which
now and then are found in the very heart of huge &s;tones,
and the entrails of the harde&s;t rocks. Nor is it po&s;&s;ible to
relieve this by any device of <HI>Rare</HI> or <HI>Fluxil</HI> nature (which
&s;ome have contrived) unle&s;s there be fir&s;t admit|ted
an intermixtion of <HI>inanity. Lucretius</HI> therefore
mo&s;t indu&s;triou&s;ly labors to fix this &s;peculation in parti|cular,
to demon&s;trate that unle&s;s we admit of <HI>Void,</HI> all
things would be pre&s;&s;ed, con&s;tipated, and &s;o wedged in
on all parts, that they could not onely not move at all,
but there would be no production of things, <HI>Local motion</HI>
being a requi&s;ite &s;o ab&s;olutely indi&s;pen&s;ible to all genera|tions
what&s;oever. Yea, &s;o frequent is this <HI>inanity,</HI> that
even the mo&s;t &s;olid <HI>Concretes</HI> have no contexture with|out
it; as he very dextrou&s;ly proves by the in&s;inuation
of moi&s;ture through the very rocks of the mo&s;t obdu|rat
marbles: The diffu&s;ion of <HI>Nouriture,</HI> the <HI>congelati|on</HI>
of ob&s;tinate things; and la&s;tly, by the &s;trange pene|tration
of <HI>voyces:</HI> All which pa&s;s through by tho&s;e <HI>in|tercepta
&s;patiola's</HI> and <HI>pores,</HI> which before we menti|oned,</P>
<LG>
<L>Nam &s;i tantundem e&s;t in Lanae glomere, quantum</L>
<L>Corporum in plumbo e&s;t tantumdem pendere par e&s;t:</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>If in a ball of yarn the &s;ub&s;tance were</L>
<L>Equal with Lead, like weight it ought to beare.</L>
</LG>
<P>Each body con&s;i&s;ting of more or fewer Atomes and a|bounding
more plentifully in <HI>Void.</HI> The &s;ize proceeds
from the various participation which it h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">th of naturally
<PB N="135" REF="68">
Ponderous <HI>Bodies, Salts,</HI> and <HI>Vacuum.</HI> For all this, &s;ome
it &s;eems there were who maintained a <HI>Lation</HI> or bodily
motion without <HI>Vacuum,</HI> and that by a certain <HI>ce&s;&s;ion,</HI>
as they termed it, which they endeavored to exemptifie
in the progre&s;s of <HI>Fi&s;hes:</HI> but our <HI>Carus</HI> more po&s;itive
and con&s;tant to his principle, therefore concludes,
that,</P>
<LG>
<L>Aut igitur motu privandum'&s;t corpora quaeque&punc;</L>
<L>Aut e&s;&s;e admistum dicendum'&s;t rebus inane, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Either we to bodies mu&s;t allow</L>
<L>No motion, or mixt vacuum avow.</L>
</LG>
<P>Touching which di&s;&s;eminated <HI>Vacu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">m,</HI> and <HI>Inane
&s;paces,</HI> the mo&s;t learned <HI>Petrus Ga&s;&s;endus</HI> maketh a fa|mous
illu&s;tration, by the depre&s;&s;ing of wheat in a Bu&s;hel,
whil&s;t being crowded forwards with its particles,
ea&s;ily propels the more <HI>aerial inter&s;tices;</HI> but above
all, by that ingenious invention of the <HI>Wind-Gun,</HI>
which indeed doth wonderfully elucidate this conden&s;a|tion
and rarefaction in bodies. I will not repeat the
experiment, becau&s;e the curious have read it in his
books, and every man may &s;ee it exactly tran&s;lated by
Dr. <HI>Charleton.</HI> And for the <HI>water,</HI> which is the in&s;tance
of our Poet, of what very forms tho&s;e <HI>Loculamenta</HI> and
<HI>inter&s;per&s;ed vacuities</HI> are therein, the &s;ame admirable <HI>Ga&s;|&s;endus</HI>
doth happily di&s;cover, by the proportion of <HI>Salts</HI>
to &s;uch a quantity of water as was onely nece&s;&s;ary to
their di&s;&s;olution, injecting tho&s;e of different figures, as
the men&s;true became &s;ated with the former; whence it
might rationally be concluded,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Vide <HI>D.</HI> Davi&s;on. Pyrotech. part. 4. de operat. Chym. c. 30.</NOTE> that there are in water
receptacles of &s;undry forms, into which angular &s;alts
adapted for tho&s;e <HI>matrices,</HI> might po&s;&s;ibly wedge in
and in&s;inuate them&s;elves. See this learned per&s;ons ani|mad
ver&s;ions on the <HI>Doctrine of Epicurus,</HI> p. 173, 174, &amp;c.
where likewi&s;e the experiment of Tinctures is e&s;tabli&s;h|ed
on the former. But our Poet proceeds by other
in&s;tances,</P>
<LG>
<L>Po&s;trem&ograve; duo de concur&s;u corpora lata</L>
<L>Si cita di&s;siliant; nempe aer omne nece&s;&s;e e&s;t&punc;</L>
<L>Inter corpora quod fiat, po&s;sidat inane.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="136" REF="69">
<L>La&s;tly, let two large bodies in cariere</L>
<L>Strike and recoil, Ayr needs mu&s;t take up here</L>
<L>All that wide &s;pace of room that lies between.</L>
</LG>
<P>Imagine two &s;ollid or large Bodies butting and recoil|ing,
nece&s;&s;ary it is (&s;aith he) that when they &s;eparate
(be the &s;pace never &s;o momentary) there follow as &s;ud|den
a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of circumfluent aire into the <HI>vacuum</HI>
which was made by this their ha&s;ty recoil; which
aire mu&s;t enter lea&s;urely, by degrees, and not at the
&s;ame in&s;tant that the bodies divide. Now if any &s;hall
object, that this is not performed in relation to the
<HI>vacuum,</HI> but by contraction and conden&s;ation of the air,
this ab&s;urdity will en&s;ue, that what was before granted
to be <HI>full,</HI> mu&s;t now be <HI>empty,</HI> and (<HI>vice ver&s;&acirc;</HI>) what
was <HI>empty, full:</HI> and yet admit it yielded, that &s;uch a
compre&s;&s;ion of the disjoyned and laxed parts of aire
might be effected; yet even that would be hugely di|&s;tre&s;&s;ed,
without admitting an inter&s;per&s;ion of <HI>vacuum;</HI>
for otherwi&s;e all things would be full, &s;olid, and meer
bodies, who&s;e property no ways admitting of penetra|tion,
could not po&s;&s;ibly &s;uffer the lea&s;t conden&s;ation.
The&s;e one would think were in&s;tances &s;ufficiently preg|nant
to convince the ob&s;tinacy of a <HI>Peripatetick Sophister,</HI>
but &s;o hath cu&s;tom hither to prevailed, that men will ra|ther
(with <HI>Meli&s;&s;us</HI> in <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI>) grant the whole Univer&s;e
to be immoveable, then once admit the <HI>Po&s;tulatum</HI> of <HI>Va|cuum.</HI>
Some Philo&s;ophers have contrived how the <HI>pul|&s;ion</HI>
of one part impels the next, and that the next, &amp;c.
till the extreams exceed its limits, as one circle in the
water &s;olicites another; or (by a nearer re&s;emblance)
as when one thru&s;ts from him a pole at the end next
him, the pole doth at the &s;ame moment advance at the
other; by all which illu&s;trations, one may clearly di&s;|cern,
that albeit they &s;eem totally to abhor a <HI>V&agrave;cuum</HI> in
<HI>terms,</HI> yet they are compelled to admit of one in <HI>effect:</HI>
After this maner they will grant a <HI>concavity</HI> in the body
of the <HI>ayr,</HI> which yet they affirm to be repleate both
of <HI>Spirits</HI> and <HI>Aire.</HI> It were endle&s;s to pur&s;ue this argu|ment
through all their eva&s;ions; but I would onely de|liver
you (among&s;t infinite others) that &s;olitary <HI>Expe|riment</HI>
de&s;cribed by the forecited <HI>Ga&s;&s;endus,</HI> as he re|ceived
it from a mo&s;t ingenious Per&s;on, were it not al&s;o
interpreted to my hand, and &s;et forth in a very per&s;pi|cuous
<PB N="137" REF="69">
<HI>Diagramme.</HI> It &s;hall &s;uffice therefore to rea&s;on,
that the <HI>Mercury</HI> having encountred an equilibration and
&s;ubingre&s;&s;ion of aery parts in tho&s;e inanities and repul&s;es
of the air, when it hath met with an equal ballance, the
matter is of nece&s;&s;ity hindered from &s;inking any lower:
For as <HI>Giovanni Bap. Hodierna</HI> in his learned Treati&s;e of
the Pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">dant Cloud, <HI>Dove la for<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">a del motore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;trin&s;eco
contrapeza in equilibrio, &amp;c.</HI> where the &s;trength of the ex|trin&s;ick
motor conterpoi&s;es <HI>in aequilibrio</HI> to the inclina|tion
of that which is ponderous, the <HI>matter</HI> which is heavy
will continue immoveable, both in relation to its de|&s;cent
and a&s;cent. Now whether what remains quit of
the <HI>Mercury,</HI> infallibly prove this <HI>Thohu</HI> or <HI>Vacuum</HI> con|tended
for, I believe may &s;eem difficult to refu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e; both
the matter and the gla&s;s being bodies &s;o extraordinarily
compact and clo&s;e&punc; I &s;ay, &s;o little porous, that even
the mo&s;t rectified <HI>&s;pirits</HI> inclo&s;ed within either, pre&s;erve
them&s;elves in extreme vigor, till the very ve&s;&s;el be it
&s;elf con&s;umed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In furno Philo&s;|part. 5.</NOTE> or el&s;e &s;ome other accident un&s;top it, as
the late <HI>Radulphus Glauberus</HI> would teach by &s;undry ex|periments.
But the learned <HI>Regius</HI> enquiring upon the
&s;ame, will have a more &s;ubtil part of aire to pa&s;s through,
and <HI>in&s;inuate</HI> by the vehement <HI>conden&s;ation</HI> of that which
is <HI>external,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Philo&s;. Nat. l. 3. p. 151.</NOTE> through the <HI>poi&s;e</HI> of the <HI>Mercury</HI> in the <HI>im|mer&s;ion</HI>
of the <HI>Tube;</HI> and this he labors to confirm by the
different <HI>Sub&s;idencies,</HI> thereof; the <HI>experiment</HI> being made
in <HI>Climates</HI> and <HI>Countreys</HI> where the <HI>aire</HI> is gro&s;s, and
le&s;s pure: For (&s;aith he) in <HI>Holland</HI> and <HI>Sweden</HI> the de|&s;cent
is apparently le&s;s then in <HI>Florens</HI> or <HI>Paris;</HI> more
upon the top of a <HI>Mountain,</HI> then in the bottom of a
<HI>Valley,</HI> &amp;c. To the&s;e tryals might be added, a de&s;cripti|on
of the late <HI>fountain Gla&s;&s;es,</HI> which are filled with wa|ter,
after the manner that the Wind Gun, and other
<HI>Pneumaticks</HI> are charged with <HI>air:</HI> but that I &s;uppo&s;e
to have aboundantly demon&s;trated (be that which we
call <HI>inane</HI> in the&s;e in&s;tances what it will) that there is
no evading the inter&s;per&s;edne&s;s of <HI>Vacuum</HI> in &s;ome of
the <HI>&s;patiold's</HI> either of the <HI>Mercury</HI> or the Gla&s;s. For
even <HI>Fi&s;hes,</HI> which will live and grow in a Phiol of wa|ter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">
&s;o long as the orifice thereof abides open, do cer|tainly
expi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e in a moment, &s;o &s;oon as the &s;ame is exact|ly
&s;topped; by which it is mo&s;t evident, that as it is an
error which &s;ome have affirmed, that they require <HI>water</HI>
onely for <HI>re&s;piration;</HI> &s;o is it as apparent, that without
<HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ire</HI> mingled and di&s;per&s;ed through their <HI>element</HI> (though
<PB N="138" REF="70">
in reguard of its fluxibility we cannot perceive the very
&s;paces wherein that aire re&s;ides) they would immediate|ly
peri&s;h and expire. And therefore when we &s;ay, <HI>Na
turam abhorrere vacuum,</HI> it is after a <HI>Metaphorical</HI> &s;en&s;e;
That is, in relation to a <HI>Coacervat inanity,</HI> and no way im|peading,
but that an infinity of invi&s;ible pores re&s;ide
among&s;t our mo&s;t &s;ollid <HI>concreates, principles</HI> onely ex|cepted.
And with this I clo&s;e this curious digre&s;&s;ion,
proceeding with our Poet, who next pre&s;ents us with
a pair of natural Principles,</P>
<LG>
<L>Omnis ut e&s;t igitur per &s;e natur&acirc;, duabus</L>
<L>Con&s;istit rebus, nam Corpora &s;unt, &amp; inane.</L>
<L>Haec in quo &s;ita &s;unt, &amp; qu&agrave; diver&s;a moventur.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Nature, as of her &s;elf two thing implies</L>
<L>A void, and &s;olid Corporieties:</L>
<L>The things in Place and places when they move.</L>
</LG>
<P>Who&s;e opinion this was, we have already &s;hewed, and
what they meant by <GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c.
<HI>full, Empty, Solid, Individual</HI> needs no farther enquiry.
But <HI>Plato, Empedocles,</HI> and &s;ome others, totally denied
this doctrine, except it were a certain <HI>extramundan inanity,</HI>
I know not where. The <HI>Vacuum</HI> introduced by our <HI>Philo|&s;opher,</HI>
and wherein he &s;cituates his body, we may &s;afely
take for that <HI>Region</HI> or <HI>Space,</HI> which the <HI>Greeks</HI> &s;o fa|miliarly
expre&s;&s;ed by <GAP DESC="foreign">, being in truth the &s;ame
which we commonly call <HI>Place,</HI> albeit &s;ome of them have
defined <HI>Natura intactilis</HI> by a more nice <GAP DESC="foreign"> and
<GAP DESC="foreign">, of which &s;everal di&s;tinctions con&s;ult <HI>Ga&s;&s;endus,</HI>
or the &s;en&s;ible demon&s;tration of a ve&s;&s;el full, and empty.
In a <HI>Phy&s;ical</HI> &s;en&s;e that <HI>Place, Region,</HI> or <HI>Space,</HI> which
being <HI>&s;u&s;ceptible</HI> of a body,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sixt. Phi|lo&s;. phyr|rhon. Hy|pot. l. 3. c. 16. de loco</NOTE> yet de&s;titute of a body, is
denominated <HI>empty.</HI> And thus <HI>Locus</HI> imports the <HI>&s;pace</HI>
which is occupied by a <HI>body, Vacuum</HI> the &s;pace not
actually employed, but receptive of a <HI>body.</HI> Now as con|cerning
the&s;e <HI>Bodies</HI> or <HI>Atomes. Epicurus</HI> held, that
even our <HI>common &s;en&s;es</HI> were competent Judges of them,
which he believed infallible;<NOTE PLACE="marg">In lib. 10. Diog. La|ert. p. 126</NOTE> but of this way of pro|bation
the learned Animadver&s;ion of the often cited
<HI>Ga&s;&s;endus de &s;en&s;u Criterio primo</HI> will afford the Reader be&s;t
&s;atisfaction, to which I recommend him.</P>
<P>Having therefore (as we &s;ee) e&s;tabli&s;hed the&s;e <HI>twin-principles,</HI>
he proceeds in the following ver&s;es to prove,
<PB N="139" REF="70">
that be&s;ides the&s;e, we are to expect no <HI>Third</HI> what&s;oever,
Let us here him be&s;t expre&s;s him&s;elf,</P>
<LG>
<L>Praeterea nihil e&s;t, quod po&s;sis dicere ab omni</L>
<L>Corpore &s;ejunctum, &s;ecret&uacute;m&abque; e&s;&s;e ab inani</L>
<L>Quod qua&s;i tertia &s;it numero natura reperta.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Things from all bodies utterly disjoyn'd</L>
<L>And &s;eparate from Void, none thou will find,</L>
<L>As if in Nature a third entitie</L>
<L>There &s;hould be:&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>Which <HI>Natura tertia,</HI> or <HI>per &s;e</HI> may haply allude to the
<GAP DESC="foreign">; the meaning whereof is, that
whatever we finde in <HI>Rerum Natura,</HI> is either <HI>Corpus</HI> or
<HI>Inane,</HI> there being no third numerical <HI>Principle,</HI> imagine
it never &s;o &s;mall or immen&s;e; for if it be in the lea&s;t
degree tangible, it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity acknowledge it &s;elf
of the family of <HI>Bodies;</HI> if on the contrary, intangible,
it will as inevitably appertain to the <HI>praedicament</HI> of
<HI>Vacuum.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Praeterea per &s;e quodc&uacute;m&abque; erit aut faciet quid,</L>
<L>Aut aliis fungi debebit agentibus ip&s;um, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Be&s;ides whatever of it &s;elf depends</L>
<L>Is always doing; or el&s;e to other lends</L>
<L>Subject to action, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>If any &s;uch principle there be, it mu&s;t be &s;ubject either
to <HI>Action</HI> or <HI>Pa&s;sion,</HI> and &s;o &s;till either a Body or Vacuum,
for other third there is none; and as touching the event,
or any con&s;equents of them, it is but a faint &s;hift. See|ing
they may be pre&s;ent or ab&s;ent without the lea&s;t im|peachment;
for what is really united, is &s;o by propriety:
And according to the definition of our Poet,</P>
<LG>
<L>Conjunctum'st id, quod nunquam &s;ine perniciali.</L>
<L>Di&s;cidio potis est &s;ejungi &s;e&abque; gregari.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Now that's conjoyn'd which one can truly never</L>
<L>Without the ruine of the &s;ubject &s;ever.</L>
</LG>
<P>As he readily in&s;tances in the weight of <HI>Stones,</HI> and hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">
of <HI>fire,</HI> which are altogether in&s;eparable to their com|po&s;ition
<PB N="140" REF="71">
and denomination, the thing it &s;elf being de|&s;troyed
by the utter defect of either; and as requi&s;ite
are,</P>
<LG>
<L>Tactus Corporibus cunctis, intactus inani.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>So Bodies may be toucht, and Vacuum not.</L>
</LG>
<P>That is <HI>Space,</HI> and the intactile nature of <HI>Void,</HI> or in|corporeity,
which can neither act nor &s;uffer, but onely
afford &s;pace and room for bodies to range, change and
move in. The <HI>Philo&s;ophers</HI> have named the&s;e <HI>conjuncta</HI>
and <HI>eventa,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> and <GAP DESC="foreign"> in relation to
that which in <HI>Logick</HI> we term <HI>Proper</HI> and <HI>Accident:</HI> And
thereupon as for other matters, which do not at all di&s;|compo&s;e
our e&s;tabli&s;hed <HI>principles,</HI> they were to be e|&s;teemed
as out of the <HI>Series</HI> and order of <HI>entities,</HI> &s;eeing
they are indeed neither <HI>inane</HI> nor yet <HI>bodies;</HI> &s;uch as in
the following Ver&s;es, he reckons to be things <HI>extrin&s;ecal</HI>
to any <HI>action.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Servitium contr&agrave;, Libertas; divitiae&abque;</L>
<L>Paupertas, bellum, Concordia; Caetera quorum, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>On th'other &s;ide, &s;ubjection, freedom, War</L>
<L>Peace, Riches, Poverty, be they what e're.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And further,</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Tempus item per &s;e non e&s;t,&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Nor is time of it &s;elf, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>That is <HI>Natura per &s;e,</HI> but (as was &s;aid) <HI>events</HI> and <HI>conjuncta,</HI>
as where <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> calls <HI>Sub&s;tantia ens per&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Metap 12</NOTE> and <HI>Acci|dens
ens in alio;</HI> the meaning is they are not &s;eparated by
our &s;en&s;es from re&s;t and motion, according to the vul|gar
<HI>definition;</HI> for it being by his de&s;cription <HI>men&s;ura motus</HI>
there cannot be imagined any in&s;tantaneous partition
thereof, without tho&s;e con&s;iderations fir&s;t admitted,
&s;eeing whil&s;t it is in <HI>flux,</HI> it is not, and being yet <HI>fu|ture,</HI>
it is no other then if it were not;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sex. Em|pir. cu&s;. l. 9. de tempore.</NOTE> and therefore
cannot be properly &s;aid to have any <HI>E&s;&s;ence:</HI> but &s;ome|thing,
which (with S. Aug. <HI>Confe&s;&s;.</HI>) may indeed better
be conceived then expre&s;&s;ed. And as <HI>Gallen, quippiam
divinum,</HI> of a nature <HI>incomprehen&s;ible.</HI> For the <HI>Time pre|&s;ent</HI>
<PB N="141" REF="71">
hath no indivi&s;ible <HI>motion,</HI> though it be &s;o mi&s;taken&punc;
but it hath <HI>indefinite</HI> parts, &s;o that it may be truely af|firmed
<HI>&V;num e&s;&s;e rerum tempus,</HI> albeit each hath its pe|culiar
duration. The whole affair in &s;hort is, <HI>Epicurus</HI>
would not have it taken for any &s;uch thing as a <HI>Body,</HI> the
conceit of <HI>Aene&s;idemus,</HI> and therefore difficult it were
to define what it &s;ignifies, after the odd maner of <HI>Schools,
per genus &amp; differentiam.</HI> Our Poet makes it (as it were)
the <HI>Event</HI> of <HI>Events,</HI> or <HI>Accident</HI> of <HI>Accidents;</HI> and yet
a huge <HI>reality,</HI> even as day and night be the accidents of
the ambient aire illuminated by, or deprived of the
<HI>Sun,</HI> of which &s;pace and time the hours con&s;i&s;t; or
as motion and re&s;t be the accidents of bodies, the ve|locity
or retardation whereof, we mea&s;ure out by
<HI>time;</HI> after the &s;ame manner that men di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Im|patibilities,
pa&s;sions, joy,</HI> or <HI>grief,</HI> not as <HI>&s;ub&s;tances,</HI> but
<HI>accidents</HI> of &s;uch as &s;uffer them for the &s;pace they po&s;&s;e&s;s,
affect and concern them. All which notions differ much
from the opinions of other Philo&s;ophers; e&s;pecially the
<HI>Peripateticks,</HI> who will needs have it to con&s;i&s;t in pure
motion of the <HI>cele&s;tial orbes,</HI> to be a <HI>body;</HI> to be <HI>Animam
Coeli,</HI> a motion of number <HI>&s;ecundum prius &amp; posterius,</HI> &amp;c.
And tho&s;e who &s;eem neere&s;t the truth, and will have the
three principal <HI>Tences</HI> to be mea&s;ured by the motion of
the Heavens, or earth <HI>circum Ao<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">em;</HI> which is therefore
(<HI>men&s;ura</HI> taken <HI>pro re men&s;urata</HI>) tropically <HI>Time.</HI> For
the better comprehending whereof, &s;ince our mo&s;t judi|cious
and eloquent <HI>Hooker,</HI> &s;peaking of the natural
cau&s;es and convenient in&s;titution<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> of <HI>Fe&s;tivals</HI> in the
<HI>Church,</HI> hath &s;o per&s;picuou&s;ly rendered it, it were worth
the reading a Paragraph: but I cannot &s;tand to recite
him at large.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. pol. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> 5. p. 373.</NOTE> The conclu&s;ion is, That <HI>Time</HI> doth but
mea&s;ure other things, and neither worketh in them any
real effects, nor is it &s;elf ever capable of any; and there|fore
when commonly we u&s;e to &s;ay, that <HI>Time</HI> is the
wi&s;e&s;t thing in the world, becau&s;e it bringeth forth all
knowledge, and that nothing is more fooli&s;h then <HI>Time,</HI>
which never holdeth any thing long, but what&s;oever
one day learneth, the &s;ame another day forgetteth;
again that &s;ome &s;ee pro&s;prous and happy days, and that
&s;ome mens days are mi&s;erable: In all the&s;e and the like
&s;peeches, that which is uttered of <HI>Time,</HI> is not verified
of <HI>Time</HI> it &s;elf, but agrees unto tho&s;e things which are in
<HI>Time,</HI> and do by means of &s;o near conjunction, either
lay their burthen upon the back, or &s;et their crown upon
<PB N="142" REF="72">
the head of <HI>Time;</HI> yea, the very opportunities which
we a&s;cribe to <HI>Time,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hipp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">c. L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">b. qui in&s;cribi|tur prae|ceptiones.</NOTE> do in truth cleave to the things them|&s;elves
wherewith <HI>Time</HI> is joyned: as for <HI>Time,</HI> it neither
cau&s;eth things, nor opportunities of things, although
it comprize and contain both. Thus far the pious and
&s;ober <HI>Hooker.</HI> I may not &s;tand to examine &s;ome excepti|ons
which lie again&s;t what he hath &s;aid, being onely to
&s;hew what our Poet (who extracts all out of <HI>Epicurus</HI>)
endeavors to render it; <HI>viz.</HI> a <HI>&s;pace</HI> &s;omething analogi|cal
to <HI>locus,</HI> as being real, eternal, and &s;o perfectly im|mutable,
ab&s;olute, independent, and nothing material,
as he would exemplifie in the Rape of the beautiful
<HI>Helen,</HI> daughter of <HI>Tyndarus</HI> K. of <HI>Lacedemoni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> whom
<HI>Paris</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Priamus</HI> desbauched from her husband
<HI>Menelaus,</HI> and the artificial <HI>Hor&s;e,</HI> by which &s;tratagem
the City <HI>Troy</HI> was &s;acked,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Virg.</HI> Aen. 2.</NOTE> and the fair Lady recovered,
Seeing (&s;aith he) the&s;e exploits were onely the events
of that age wherein they were done; &s;o long &s;ince pa&s;t
and gone, as that the bare remembrance onely of them
&s;carcely remains unto us. Therefore concludes, that
every thing mu&s;t not pretend to the &s;ame <HI>Prerogative</HI>
which <HI>Bodies</HI> and <HI>Vacuum</HI> are born too, but mu&s;t be &s;a|tisfied
with the notion of <HI>Event</HI> and <HI>Accidents,</HI> &amp;c. which
kinde of <HI>Argument,</HI> if it &s;atisfie the <HI>Reader,</HI> it is more
(I confe&s;s) then it doth the <HI>Writer</HI> of the&s;e ob&s;ervations.
But now to our Principles again,</P>
<LG>
<L>E&s;&s;e ea, quae &s;olido, atque aeterno corpore-con&s;tent,</L>
<L>Semina quae rerum, primordi&aacute;&abque; e&s;&s;e docemus,</L>
<L>&V;nde omnis rerum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">unc constet &s;umma cre&acirc;ta.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>That of a &s;olid, and eternal frame</L>
<L>Bodies there be, which principles we name.</L>
<L>And &s;eeds of things, from whence the total &s;um</L>
<L>And ma&s;s of all created Beings come:</L>
</LG>
<P>Shortly thus, the <HI>principles</HI> of things (&s;aith he) con&s;i&s;t
of a mo&s;t &s;imple, meer, and altogether ab&s;tracted con&s;ti|tution:
Now <HI>Corpus</HI> and <HI>Inane</HI> are the <HI>principles</HI> we &s;peak
of; <HI>ergo,</HI> they are infallibly thus &s;incere, &s;imple, im|mixed,
and exactly qualified. Now by <HI>Bodies,</HI> as we a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e
to under&s;tand &s;omething mo&s;t &s;olid, and which admits
not of the lea&s;t imaginable ingredient of <HI>Vacuum:</HI> &s;o
likewi&s;e by <HI>Vacuum</HI> is meant, &s;omething as &s;imple and
<PB N="143" REF="72">
meerly void; for otherwi&s;e they could in no wi&s;e be
<HI>principles,</HI> it follows therefore,</P>
<LG>
<L>E&s;&s;e utr&aacute;m&abque; &s;ibi per &s;e, pur&acirc;m&abque; nece&s;&s;e e&s;t.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Each do &s;ub&s;i&s;t and unconfounded are:</L>
</LG>
<P>Again, <HI>Bodies</HI> and <HI>Vacuum</HI> are incompatible, the <HI>Illati|on</HI>
he thus proves by their re&s;pective definitions,</P>
<LG>
<L>Nam quac&ugrave;mque vacat &s;patium, quod inane vocamus;</L>
<L>Corpus e&acirc; non e&s;t: qu&agrave; porr&ograve; c&uacute;m&abque; tenet &s;e</L>
<L>Corpus, e&acirc; vacuum nequaquam con&s;tat in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ne.</L>
<L>Sunt igitur &s;olida, ac &s;ine inani corpora prima, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For where&s;o'ere of Room empty is &s;aid</L>
<L>Nobody is, again where ever's laid</L>
<L>A body, is no void; firm therefore bee</L>
<L>Prime Bodies, and from empty &s;paces free.</L>
</LG>
<P>The &s;econd Argument invited to prove his <HI>Atomes</HI> thus
&s;olid: You object (&s;aith our <HI>Carus</HI>) that they impri&s;on
and include a <HI>Vacuum</HI> within them: if &s;o, then by con|&s;equent
you grant what&s;oever is comprehen&s;ive of that
<HI>Vacuum</HI> to be mo&s;t &s;olid.</P>
<LG>
<L>Nec res ulla pote&s;t vera ratione probari</L>
<L>Corpore inane &s;uo Celare, at&abque; intus habere,</L>
<L>Si non, quod prohibet, &s;olidum con&s;tare relinquas.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Nor can it by right rea&s;on be oppos'd</L>
<L>That <HI>Void</HI> is hid in <HI>Bodies,</HI> or inclos'd</L>
<L>Unle&s;s you grant (what mu&s;t in ju&s;tice follow)</L>
<L>Tho&s;e Bodies &s;olid are, which hold the hollow.</L>
</LG>
<P>And with this he re&s;ts &s;atisfied to have &s;ufficiently a&s;&s;ert|ed
the &s;olidity and immixture of his <HI>principles.</HI> But
now be&s;ides all the&s;e properties of compactedne&s;s and
extraordinary &s;implicity, our Philo&s;opher wil have them
to be likewi&s;e <HI>Eternal;</HI> and he proves it,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Quoniam nec plenum naviter ex&s;tat;</L>
<L>Nec porr&ograve; vacuum, &s;unt ergo corpora certa,</L>
<L>Quae &s;patium pleno po&s;sint di&s;tinguere in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ne.</L>
<L>Haec neque di&s;&s;olui plagis extrin&s;ecus icta</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;unt, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="144" REF="73">
<L>Since then nor all is full, nor empty &s;pace</L>
<L>Some bodies are that garni&s;h every place,</L>
<L>The&s;e nor by blows extern, can wronged be</L>
<L>Nor riveted between a&s;under flee, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>It concerns the Reader to remember, how exactly <HI>full,</HI>
and exqul&s;itely <HI>void</HI> our <HI>principles</HI> are under&s;tood to be.
In the&s;e lines be &s;hews onely how the whole <HI>&V;niver&s;e</HI>
cannot be &s;aid to be only &amp; meerly <HI>full,</HI> le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">t men &s;hould
imagine this <HI>All</HI> to be but as one intire <HI>body;</HI> nor on
the contrary, &s;imply <HI>void,</HI> for then could there be nei|ther
<HI>body</HI> nor <HI>thing</HI> in the world. Rather thus, <HI>Corpus</HI>
and <HI>Inane</HI> are things perfectly di&s;tinct; &s;o as there is
&s;pace and convenience for the one to move and re&s;ide in
the other, which he &s;o frequently repeats to confirm
the nece&s;&s;ity of his <HI>Atomes,</HI> who&s;e bodies are of that
permanency and compo&s;ition, as nothing can de&s;troy or
impeach, however they be treated, and his rea&s;on is
their <HI>non admi&s;sion</HI> of the lea&s;t <HI>vacuum,</HI> which he con|&s;titutes
for the &s;ole <HI>principle</HI> of <HI>de&s;truction</HI> where ever it
is ingredient; for &s;o the&s;e following lines import,</P>
<LG>
<L>Et quo quaeque magi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> cohibet res intus inane,</L>
<L>Tam magis his rebus penitus tentata laba&s;cit.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And how much more things do include a void</L>
<L>By the&s;e a&s;&s;ail'd they &s;ooner are de&s;troy'd.</L>
</LG>
<P>By rea&s;on of heat, cold, moi&s;ture, &amp;c. which brings
every concreate body to its period and de&s;truction &s;oon|er
or later, according as Void domineers in their com|po&s;ition,
which admits acce&s;s and entrance to tho&s;e
things that ruine and confound them: therefore con|cludes,</P>
<LG>
<L>Ergo &s;i &s;olida, ac &s;ine inani corpora prima</L>
<L>Sunt, ita uti docui; &s;int haec aeterna, nece&s;&s;e e&s;t.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>If (as I taught) then principles are free</L>
<L>From void, they likewi&s;e mu&s;t eternal be.</L>
</LG>
<P>As <HI>ingenita, aeterna,</HI> and <HI>incorrupta</HI> from this their <HI>non|inanity.</HI></P>
<LG>
<PB N="145" REF="73">
<L>Praeterea, ni&s;i materies aeterna fui&s;&s;et,</L>
<L>Ante hac ad nihilum penitus res quae&abque; redi&s;&s;ent, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Be&s;ides had matter not for ever been,</L>
<L>We had long &s;ince all things reduced &s;een, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>If in extream re&s;olutions things &s;hould ab&s;olutely <HI>an|nihilate,</HI>
then certainly all things had long ere this peri&s;h|ed,
and every individual extant, re&s;ulted from nothing,
which were a mo&s;t ab&s;ur'd conceit: therefore (&s;aith he)
they undoubtedly return to &s;ome &s;olid matter again,
without which property,</P>
<LG>
<L>Nec ratione queunt alia &s;ervata peraevum,</L>
<L>Ex infinit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, jam tempore res reparare.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Nor may we al&s;o conceive ought la&s;tinglie</L>
<L>Can for eternal reparation be.</L>
</LG>
<P>And that he may demon&s;trate how <HI>Nature</HI> proceeds to
&s;ome final and determinate re&s;olutions, without any
pretence to <HI>Infinite,</HI> he &s;hews; for</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Si nullam finem natura para&s;&s;et</L>
<L>Frangendis rebus; jam corpora materiai</L>
<L>&V;&s;que redacta forent, aevo frangente priore,</L>
<L>&V;t nihil ex illis, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Did Nature when &s;he does in pieces take</L>
<L>Things, to her &s;elf no Bounds nor limits make,</L>
<L>Matter e're this had been &s;o neer reduc'd</L>
<L>To their fir&s;t cau&s;e, as nought could be produc'd, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>There are therefore &s;ome &s;olid <HI>Principles</HI> that can never
be de&s;troy'd. And unle&s;s there were a certain period
&s;tated for the decay of things, when it is proceeded as
far as tho&s;e bodies or <HI>Atomes,</HI> they had long ago failed
and been utterly annihilated; nor were we for the fu|ture
to have ever expected any &s;ucce&s;&s;ive mature pro|ductions;
&s;ince tho&s;e <HI>Moleculae</HI> had e're this, been ob|noxious
to &s;o many &s;trokes, continual and unce&s;&s;ant
encounters as mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity have reduced them.</P>
<LG>
<PB N="146" REF="74">
<L>At nunc nimirum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">rangendi reddita finis</L>
<L>Certa manet, quoniam refici rem qu&aacute;mque videmus</L>
<L>Et finila &s;imul generatim tempora rebus</L>
<L>Stare, quibus p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ent, aevi contingere florem.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But now to &s;uch de&s;truction 'tis mo&s;t plain</L>
<L>Limits are fixt; &s;ince they're re&s;tor'd again,</L>
<L>And to all &s;ort of things times &s;et, in which</L>
<L>They may attain their ages perfect pitch.</L>
</LG>
<P>For as much as tho&s;e perpetual agitations terminate, be|ing
once vared to tho&s;e &s;olid and irrefragable <HI>principles&punc;</HI>
which nothing can eternally alter.</P>
<P>And thus having partly a&s;&s;erted the <HI>Perennity</HI> of his
<HI>Elements,</HI> he endeavors in the next to demon&s;trate by
another in&s;tance, that notwith&s;tanding his bodies are
thus hard and wonderfully compact; yet (by being joyn|ed
and coupled to <HI>Void</HI>) they may in compo&s;ition of
things be &s;aid to be of a <HI>Soft</HI> Nature.</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Quae fiant aer, aqua, terra, vapores,</L>
<L>Quo pacto fiant, &amp; qua vi cun&abque; gerantur, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>So Air, Earth, Water, &s;o are vapors bred</L>
<L>By what e're power, or how engendered.</L>
</LG>
<P>Continually pur&s;uing the immutability of his <HI>Principles;</HI>
viz. by the indivi&s;ibility, incon&s;picuity, and &s;implici|ty
of his <HI>Atomes,</HI> which do not con&s;titute bodies by the
lea&s;t mixture, but a certain fortunate <HI>adhe&s;ion</HI> in which
our <HI>Poet</HI> di&s;covers the difference 'twixt <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> and
<HI>Epicurus;</HI> the one affirming that a <HI>body</HI> was divi&s;ible in|to
parts infinite, how &s;mall &s;oever, obnoxious yet to
eternal divi&s;ions. This our <HI>Carus</HI> refells by a plain
deduction <HI>ad ab&s;urdum. Empedocles</HI> was it &s;eems of this
judgement. But the <HI>Other</HI> taught that his <HI>principles</HI> were
&s;o &s;mall, that they were neither <HI>actually</HI> nor <HI>potentially</HI> &s;ub|ject
to any farther divi&s;ion; which Argument our <HI>Poet</HI>
&s;eems here to refer to the Treati&s;e which his <HI>Praeceptor</HI>
expre&s;ly writ, <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;uch a <HI>mini|mum</HI>
as one may &s;peculate to re&s;ide in the very point of
an <HI>angle</HI> of &s;ome mo&s;t acute <HI>Atome;</HI> for of &s;uch the uni|ver&s;al
body of his <HI>principles</HI> con&s;i&s;t, or at lea&s;t, &s;ome|thing
<HI>Analogical</HI> to them, as mo&s;t meet for the generati|on
<PB N="147" REF="74">
and &s;upply of things; which if actually and infi|nitely
divi&s;ible, could determine to nothing certain&punc;
neither (if &s;o) could there be any difference 'twixt the
<HI>greate&s;t</HI> and the lea&s;t, which were mo&s;t repug<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ant to rea|&s;on.
This admitted, you are (&s;aith our <HI>Author</HI>) nece&s;|&s;itated
to concede a <HI>minimum.</HI> Let the <HI>Reader</HI> be again
admoni&s;hed, that he mi&s;take not our Poets <HI>minim</HI> for
&s;uch a <HI>Mathematical point</HI> as is repre&s;ented <HI>Sans magnitude;</HI>
our <HI>principles</HI> enjoy it, and likewi&s;e <HI>figure</HI> as infinitely
variable as their<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> is divi&s;ible among&s;t the <HI>Peripate<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">icks:</HI>
which <HI>Apices,</HI> or lea&s;t of things, upon &s;erious and &s;pecu|lative
di&s;qui&s;ition, may happly prove a notion to be
hardly denied, whether Phy&s;ically or Mathematically
taken, as the much admired <HI>Ga&s;&s;endus</HI> largely demon|&s;trates,
where he &s;peaks <HI>de non e&s;&s;e magnitudinem Epicuro in|finit&egrave;
dividuam;</HI> whether I refer the curious, and to
&s;omething which we &s;hall &s;peak hereafter. La&s;tly,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Si minim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"> in Partis cuncta re&s;olvi</L>
<L>Cogere con&s;u&ecirc;&s;&s;et rerum natura Creatrix:</L>
<L>Jain nihil ex illis eadem reparare valeret, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Now &s;uppo&s;e</L>
<L>Nature from whence all things created ro&s;e,</L>
<L>Did not each thing into lea&s;t pieces take</L>
<L>She never could a new the &s;ame things make.</L>
</LG>
<P>The various readings of which <HI>Ver&s;es,</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e to have
here reconciled: The drift of the Poet being &s;till to
oppo&s;e the infinite divi&s;ibility of <HI>principles</HI> from their
then incapacity of new productions. Having thus e&s;ta|bli&s;hed
his own, he falls next to examine and refel the
opinions of &s;ome other renowned Philo&s;ophers: And
fir&s;t he encounters <HI>Heraclitus,</HI> who taught, that <HI>Fire</HI>
was the very fir&s;t matter,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Atque ex igni &s;ummam con&s;istere &s;olo, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And that of Fire con&s;i&s;ted the whole ma&s;s.</L>
</LG>
<P>This is that Sceptick who al&s;o affirmed, that the world
was repleat with <HI>Daemons</HI> or <HI>Spirits:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Plut&punc; de placit. Philo&s;. l. 11. c. 6</NOTE> that the <HI>Sun</HI> was
onely an actual flame, which yet he &s;en&s;ually believed
to be no bigger then its <HI>Phaenomena.</HI> But to return to our
&s;ubject, Thus <HI>Laertius,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<PB N="148" REF="75">
&amp;c. That all things con&s;i&s;ted of fire,
and reverted again into it by a certain rarefaction and
conden&s;ation, flowing much after the manner that ri|vers
do: That <HI>Fire</HI> when it became conden&s;ed grew
moi&s;t, and &s;o was made <HI>Aire;</HI> Aire congregated, re&s;olved
into <HI>Liquor;</HI> and <HI>Water</HI> congealed and waxing more con|crete,
turned into <HI>Earth;</HI> all which was performed
downwards, <GAP DESC="foreign">. &amp;c. and
then it a&s;cended gradually again, beginning with the
lowe&s;t and mo&s;t ponderous. The Earth attenuated
di&s;&s;olved into <HI>Water,</HI> of the <HI>Water</HI> rarified was made
<HI>Aire,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">: the re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters"> after the &s;ame
proce&s;s, which makes our Poet worthily reproach this
<HI>Ephe&s;ian Philo&s;opher</HI> as one</P>
<LG>
<L>Clarus ob ob&s;curam linguam magis inter inanes</L>
<L>Quam de gravis inter Graios, qui vera requirunt.</L>
<L>Omnia enim &s;tolidi magis admirantur, amant&abque;</L>
<L>Inver&s;is quae &s;ub verbis La<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">itantia cernunt,</L>
<L>Ver&aacute;&abque; con&s;tituunt, quae bell&egrave; tangere po&s;&s;unt</L>
<L>Aures, &amp; lepido quae &s;unt fucata &s;onore.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Cry'd up for's dark expre&s;&s;ions by the light</L>
<L>Not &s;ober Greeks, &s;uch as in truth delight:</L>
<L>For fools t'admire and love are mo&s;t inclin'd</L>
<L>What lurking mid&s;t ob&s;cure&s;t terms they find;</L>
<L>And onely hold for truth what accen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s quaint</L>
<L>Strike the pleas'd ear, and with trim phra&s;e doth paint.</L>
</LG>
<P>This was that <HI>Maudline Philo&s;opher</HI> whom they report to
have wept &s;o often at the vanities of other men, which
yet &s;ay &s;ome he did but di&s;&s;emble out of exce&s;s of fa&s;t
and di&s;dain,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cic. f 4. quaest. Acad.</NOTE> as conceiting him&s;elf the onely per&s;on in
the world for profoundne&s;s of Learning and Wi&s;dom.
By the Character our Poet gives him, it &s;eems he much
delighted to be little under&s;tood; and <HI>Lucretius</HI> was
no admirer of <HI>Hierogliphical</HI> learning; yet not out of di&s;|affection
to pure and natural Eloquence, but when it
was empty and jejune of matter; or that any &s;cience was
delivered in ob&s;cure language, which have made &s;ome
write on this place, as if by <HI>Inver&s;is quae &s;ub verbis, &amp;c.</HI>
&s;ignified how <HI>Heraclitus</HI> was addicted to the childi&s;h
&s;pelling or pronouncing his words backwards, becau&s;e
<HI>Vitruvius</HI> and &s;ome others have named him <GAP DESC="foreign">, for
his affected ob&s;curity; and <HI>Laertius,</HI> where he repeats
<PB N="149" REF="75">
divers reproachful <HI>Nicknames</HI> given to &s;undry of the Phi|lo&s;ophers,
<GAP DESC="foreign"> (&s;aith he) <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>qua&s;i nimirum
turba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">orem, confu&s;or&eacute;mve, &amp;c. ob affectatam in &s;cribendo ob&s;cu|ritatem;</HI>
a great lover of <HI>enigmatical</HI> and tropical expre&s;&s;i|ons,
which makes <HI>Nardius</HI> on this place very much in
choler again&s;t our poor <HI>Chymi&s;ts,</HI> at who&s;e canting he
is exceedingly bitter and impatient. But to our <HI>Poet,</HI>
who&s;e fir&s;t quarrel again&s;t <HI>Heraclitus</HI> is,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Cur tam variae res po&s;&s;ent e&s;&s;e, requiro</L>
<L>Ex vero &s;i &s;unt igni, pur&oacute;&abque; creatae, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But how things can thus differ I enquire,</L>
<L>If they proceed from pure and real fire.</L>
</LG>
<P>To prove that no &s;olitary thing, or <HI>Element</HI> alone can
po&s;&s;ibly be this catholick <HI>Principle;</HI> e&s;pecially, &s;ince (as
it follows) they neither admit of <HI>Rarefaction, Conden|&s;ation</HI>
or <HI>Vacuum,</HI> without which it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity &s;till
remain <HI>Fire,</HI> &s;uch, yet, as (in defect of Vacuum to
move in) it could not be; the <HI>principle</HI> being thus de|&s;troyed
by rea&s;on of its den&s;ity incompatible with its
nature; as is evident by the <HI>light, heat</HI> and effects there|of,
which evidently di&s;covers its <HI>Rarefaction</HI> and Ad|mixtion
with Vacuum. But</P>
<LG>
<L>Qu&ograve;d &s;i forte ulla credunt ratione pote&s;&s;e</L>
<L>Ignis in Coctu &s;tingui, mutar&eacute;&abque; corpus, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>If haply &s;ome per&s;wade them&s;elves that fire</L>
<L>May &s;hif<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> it's body, and ith' ma&s;s expire, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>And by this &s;hift become <HI>Earth,</HI> being endued with more
cra&s;&s;e and thick particles (for &s;o <HI>Plutarch</HI> &s;eems to deliver
it for him) <HI>viz.</HI> that by <HI>contraction</HI> it becomes <HI>Earth,</HI> and
again by laxation, <HI>Water,</HI> this <HI>evaporated</HI> and extenuated,
<HI>Aire,</HI> &amp;c. It &s;hould by this proce&s;s utterly lo&s;e the being
and prerogative of fire, as exceeding its terms; and &s;o
not being what it is e&s;tabli&s;hed for, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity
annihilate: of which <HI>Nothing,</HI> we have already proved
it impo&s;&s;ible that any thing &s;hould con&s;i&s;t. <HI>Fire</HI> there|fore
by being extinct, cannot properly be &s;aid to be
changed into any other &s;ub&s;tance; &s;eeing a &s;imple body
is incapable of <HI>alteration</HI> without a total perdition. And
then if ought remain, it is <HI>Atomes,</HI> the common matter
<PB N="150" REF="76">
and principles which we all this while contend for;
and which by their <HI>Addition, Detraction, Tran&s;po&s;ition,
&amp;c.</HI> &s;ometimes indeed appear in the form of <HI>Fire,</HI> and
&s;ometimes of other things, as the hath here expre&s;&s;ed it.
<HI>Heraclitus</HI> (&s;aith he) believes his <HI>&s;en&s;es,</HI> by which <HI>he</HI> un|der&s;tands
what <HI>Fire</HI> is, 'tis per&s;picuous. Why doth <HI>he</HI>
not as well credit <HI>them</HI> when it perceives or feels <HI>other
things</HI> which be altogether as obvious and vi&s;ible; &s;uch
as <HI>Aire, Earth</HI> or <HI>Water,</HI> which may all by this argument,
be as well <HI>Principles</HI> as his pretended <HI>Fire?</HI></P>
<P>As much (&s;aith our Poet) have erred tho&s;e other
<HI>Philo&s;ophers,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Qui principium gignundis aera rebus</L>
<L>Con&s;titu&ecirc;re, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Who Air the univer&s;al &s;ource have deem'd.</L>
</LG>
<P>I &s;uppo&s;e he means <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Anaximenes Mile&s;ius.
Anaximents Infinitum aera dixit e&s;&s;e ex quo omnia gigneren|tur:</HI>
as <HI>Cicero.</HI> The like is affirmed by <HI>Plutarch,</HI> who
al&s;o a&s;cribes the &s;ame opinion to <HI>Archelaus</HI> the <HI>Athenian;</HI>
and thence it is reported that <HI>Apolloniates Diogenes</HI> be|lieved
it to be the common <HI>God,</HI> or rather, <HI>Principle,</HI> in
re&s;pect of its immen&s;e exten&s;ion, and the va&s;t &s;pace
which indeed it employeth.</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;aut Humorem qui<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&uacute;m&abque; put&acirc;runt</L>
<L>Fingere res ip&s;um per&s;e, terramve creare</L>
<L>Omnia, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Or that pure Water, or the earth have e&s;teem'd</L>
<L>Forms all, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Of which opinion was <HI>Thales Mile&s;ius</HI> one of the &s;even
<HI>Sages,</HI> the &s;ame who named <HI>God,</HI> the <HI>Mind:</HI> though he
reported <HI>water</HI> to be the fir&s;t <HI>Principle</HI> out of which the
<HI>Minde</HI> educed all other <HI>materials;</HI> moi&s;ture the <HI>Princi|ple,</HI>
and <HI>God</HI> the <HI>Cau&s;e.</HI> Of which &s;ee the elegant
<HI>Lactantius, Cicero de Nat. deor l.</HI> 1. <HI>Vitruvius, l.</HI> 2. <HI>c.</HI> 2. and
<HI>in proaem, l.</HI> 8. Indeed though &s;ome hardy men father this
Philo&s;ophy on <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> yet that <HI>Water</HI> is really a very <GAP DESC="foreign">,
or univer&s;al <HI>Principle,</HI> be&s;ides the fore-cited
<HI>Tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">es; Hippon, Empedocles</HI> and <HI>Theophra&s;tus</HI> were of the
&s;ame &s;aith; <HI>Hippocrates</HI> him&s;elf attributes much to it:
<PB N="151" REF="76">
and of later times, the great <HI>Sendivogius,</HI> and generally
the be&s;t learned <HI>Spagiri&s;ts.</HI> But above all, is famous
that experiment delivered us by <HI>Helmont</HI> of the growth
of his tree, &s;upplyed onely by this humor: Let the
curious con&s;ult his works; for I ha&s;ten.</P>
<P>As concerning the <HI>Earth, He&s;iod</HI> and &s;ome others, fir&s;t
broached. In fine, he concludes, that whoever they
are that con&s;titue <HI>Fire, Heat, Aire,</HI> the <HI>Water,</HI> or indeed
any other &s;olitary <HI>Element,</HI> to be the Univer&s;al and
Common <HI>Principle,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Magnopere &agrave; vero long&eacute;&abque; erra&s;&s;e videntur.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Have all alike at large from truth e&s;tray'd.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Adde etiam, qui conduplicant primordia rerum.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Add tho&s;e who principles of things combine.</L>
</LG>
<P>The <GAP DESC="foreign"> or General of the&s;e Philo&s;ophers (&s;uch
were <HI>Archelaus,</HI> and <HI>Parmenides,</HI> the one making <HI>Fire</HI>
and <HI>Water,</HI> the other <HI>Earth</HI> and <HI>Water,</HI> to be <HI>rerum prin|cipia</HI>)
was the learned <HI>Empedocles,</HI> by <HI>Sect</HI> a <HI>Pythago|rean,</HI>
by birth a Citizen of <HI>Agrigentum,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Plin. l. 31 c. 7.</NOTE> a town in <HI>Sictly</HI>
now called <HI>Naro</HI> and <HI>Gergento,</HI> who&s;e coa&s;t our Poet here
mo&s;t elegantly de&s;cribes, together with the rivage and
vorago of <HI>Charybdis:</HI> the horrible and ignivomous mouth
of <HI>Aetna,</HI> not improperly mentioned in this place, as
into who&s;e jaws &s;ome report he precipitated him&s;elf: his
hopes were to have made men think he had pa&s;&s;ed &s;ome
extraordinary way to <HI>Immortality,</HI> if the unlucky ejecti|on
of his iron <HI>Sandals</HI> (which he forgot to di&s;po&s;e of) had
not detected his ambition and folly. Some &s;ay, he fell
into that <HI>Barathrum</HI> by accident, as the elder <HI>Pliny</HI>
peri&s;hed at <HI>Ve&s;uvius,</HI> whil&s;t he was <HI>Philo&s;ophizing</HI> upon
the cau&s;e of tho&s;e terrible <HI>Vulcano's.</HI> The particulars
mentioned here by our <HI>Carus,</HI> are onely in honor of this
Illu&s;trious <HI>Heroe,</HI> whom he even <HI>Canonizes,</HI> and makes a
<HI>Demi-god</HI> of. But certainly a very extraordinary per&s;on
he was, in imitation of who&s;e former work upon the
like &s;ubject, &s;ome affirm that our Poet compo&s;ed the&s;e
&s;ix Books <HI>de Rerum Natura;</HI> and how great a man he was,
may be &s;een at large in <HI>Diog.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid. Orig. coat. Ce<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;um.</NOTE> <HI>Laertius,</HI> where he informs
us how neerly he approached to the de&s;cription of <HI>God,</HI>
whom whil&s;t &s;ome, with the Anthropomorphite, ima|gined
<PB N="152" REF="77">
to be compo&s;ed of humane form and &s;hape; that
is to &s;ay, with the very members of a man (as is ea&s;ily
collected out of tho&s;e Ver&s;es in <HI>Ammonius</HI> comment <GAP DESC="foreign">)
he affirmed to con&s;i&s;t onely of a divine and
holy mind moving and governing the Univer&s;e by cogi|tations
mo&s;t &s;wift and incomprehen&s;ible. To this add
his conjecture, that all things were created by a certain
amity, con&s;ent or harmony among&s;t the <HI>Elements,</HI> and
that they peri&s;hed onely by &s;ome unhappy di&s;cord; as
for the Soul, that it onely re&s;ided in the blood e&s;&s;enti|ally
(which was al&s;o the opinion of <HI>Critias</HI>) whence the
Poet, <HI>Purpuream vomit ille animam.</HI> And that tho&s;e who
were be&s;t furni&s;hed with that crim&s;on humor, were more
generous &s;pirited then other men, and con&s;equently of
better judgement: but I quit this. It &s;hould &s;eem he
was a very rare per&s;on indeed, that the great <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI>
&s;hould a&s;cribe the invention of <HI>Rhetorick</HI> to him, and
who&s;e di&s;cour&s;es our <HI>Lucretius</HI> (who el&s;e believed little
of tho&s;e fabulous divinations and Spirits) &s;hould prefer
to the very Oracles of <HI>Apollo;</HI> the de&s;cant of who&s;e
<HI>Re&s;pon&s;es</HI> if our <HI>Carus</HI> have not &s;ufficiently de&s;cribed,
let the curious Reader con&s;ult <HI>Porphyrius,</HI> recited by <HI>Aug.
de Civit. dei l.</HI> 20. <HI>Herod. l.</HI> 1. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And yet this per&s;on, as
learned and univer&s;al as he was; for his thus blending
and marring of Principles with the re&s;t, as the Stagyri&s;t
&s;omewhere pronounces of other Philo&s;ophers,
<GAP DESC="foreign">: which our Poet inter|prets,</P>
<LG>
<L>Principiis tamen in rerum fecere ruinas;</L>
<L>Et graviter magni magno cecidere ibi ca&s;u.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Yet the&s;e great per&s;ons all receive great falls,</L>
<L>And &s;plit them&s;elves on fal&s;e originals.</L>
</LG>
<P>And &s;uch it &s;eems (be&s;ides <HI>Empedocles,</HI> &amp;c.) were tho&s;e
who</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Motus exempto rebus inani</L>
<L>Consti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">uunt; &amp; res mollis rar&aacute;&s;&abque; relinqunt, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Motion without void avow;</L>
<L>And yet of things do &s;oft and rare allow.</L>
</LG>
<P><PB N="153" REF="77">
For <HI>Lucretius</HI> is far from denying the four vulgar <GAP DESC="foreign">,
as they are compo&s;itive parts of the <HI>&V;niver&s;e;</HI> but one|ly
when u&s;urping on that prerogative of <HI>Atomes,</HI> men
affirm them to be the <HI>principles</HI> of the <HI>Concretes.</HI> And
again, for that they utterly reject <HI>all Vacuum;</HI> and yet
admit of other things, which cannot po&s;&s;ibly &s;ub&s;i&s;t
without it. In the &s;econd place, that they affirm all
things to be infinitely dividuous, rejecting <HI>Atomes,</HI> to
which when once a divi&s;ion is arrived, there is a certain
period to all farther Anatomization of Bodies. Thirdly,
that they con&s;titute &s;oft, and <HI>per con&s;equens</HI> mutable
<HI>principles</HI> (&s;uch as <HI>Fire, Earth, Aire, Water, &amp;c.</HI>) which
mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity annihilate. Fourthly, for that they
produce contrary and repugnant <HI>Elements,</HI> &s;uch as <HI>Fire</HI>
and <HI>Water, &amp;c.</HI> expre&s;&s;ed in our Poet by <HI>Inimica &amp;
Venena inter &s;e,</HI> reciprocally de&s;tructive. Fifthly, that
they make the <HI>Elements</HI> to be the <HI>principles</HI> of <HI>Bodies,</HI>
rather then <HI>Bodies</HI> to be the <HI>principles</HI> of the <HI>Ele|ments.</HI>
And la&s;tly, becau&s;e they acknowledge the four
common <HI>elements</HI> to be changed into things (being once
di&s;poil'd of their natures) which are immediately to re|vert
into the <HI>Elements</HI> again; or in ca&s;e they &s;till pre|&s;erve
their natures, remain onely capable of making
&s;ome confu&s;ed and rude heap, without producing any
thing perfectly di&s;tinct.</P>
<LG>
<L>Non animans; non exanimo cum corpore, ut arbos,</L>
<L>Quippe, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>No living thing, nor things inanimate,</L>
<L>As Trees, for that, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>For <HI>Epicurus</HI> did not admit of any <HI>Soul</HI> to re&s;ide in
Plants, but held, that they were governed and grew by
vertue of a certain nature not <HI>vegitable,</HI> proper to them
alone, and yet affirmed, that they live, that is, enjoy
a peculiar motion, as the water of Chry&s;tal &s;prings, the
fire which we excite to a flame, is called <HI>living water,</HI>
and <HI>living fire;</HI> &s;omething <HI>analogical</HI> to that which I
think is more difficult to expre&s;s then comprehend: for
&s;uch is fire without light, &amp;c. But concerning this, &s;ee
the expre&s;s <HI>Treati&s;e</HI> written by the learned <HI>T. Campanella,</HI>
in his Book <HI>De &s;en&s;u Rerum &amp; Magia, &amp;c.</HI> The &s;um is,
that tho&s;e four vulgarly reputed <HI>Elements</HI> are not the
Principles of natural things to the prejudice of Atomes.
La&s;tly, for that, This too</P>
<LG>
<PB N="154" REF="78">
<L>&mdash;Repetunt &agrave; coelo, atque ignibus ejus</L>
<L>Et prim&ugrave;m faciunt ignem &s;e vertere in auras</L>
<L>Aeris, hinc imbrem gigni; terr&aacute;m&abque; creari</L>
<L>Ex imbri; retro&abque; &agrave; terr&aacute; cuncta reverti;</L>
<L>Humorem prim&ugrave;m, post aera, deinde calorem</L>
<L>Nec ce&s;&s;are haec inter &s;e mutare, meare</L>
<L>De Coelo ad terram, de terra ad &s;ydera mundi</L>
<L>Quod facere haud ullo debent primordia pacto.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>From heaven, and from his fires they bring</L>
<L>And fir&s;t the fire to aire transform'd they &s;ing,</L>
<L>Hence rain &s;ublim'd, and Earth condens'd of rain</L>
<L>And &s;o from Earth, they all retire again:</L>
<L>Fir&s;t Water, then the Aire, and Fire in trains</L>
<L>Nor once this cour&s;e to cea&s;e, but to and fro</L>
<L>From heaven to earth, from earth to heaven they go:</L>
<L>Which Principles refu&s;e, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Making a <HI>Tran&s;mutation</HI> to pre&s;erve them from de&s;tructi|on,
as repaired by a compen&s;ation of parts; even as the
<HI>Species</HI> are &s;till con&s;erved by a continual &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of
new <HI>Individuals.</HI> Thus like <HI>Antimonie,</HI> they operate
<GAP DESC="foreign">: which doctrine is wholly repugnant to the
nature of Principles, which ought to be &s;table and fi|xed,
as hath abundantly been &s;hewed: All which con|&s;idered,
&s;aith <HI>Carus,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Potius tali natura praedita quaedam</L>
<L>Corpora con&s;tituas, ignem &s;i forte crearint,</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;e eadem demptis paucis, pauci&s;&abque; tributis</L>
<L>Ordine mutato, &amp; motu, facere aeris auras:</L>
<L>Sic alias, aliis rebus mutarier omnis.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Rather &s;uch bodies &s;tate that fire &s;hall make</L>
<L>Add &s;ome few things, away &s;ome other take;</L>
<L>Order and motion chang'd turn to thin aire,</L>
<L>Thus every thing doth every thing repaire.</L>
</LG>
<P>For &s;o it is, &s;pontaneous things are produced, as by the
mutual conver&s;ion of Water and Aire; <HI>viz.</HI> by the va|rious
di&s;po&s;ition and conjugation of the very identical
parts; and &s;o in like &s;ort by acce&s;s and addition: as
tho&s;e things which &s;pring up of &s;eed by <HI>Fermentation,
Coagulation, &amp;c.</HI> till they <HI>&s;pecifie</HI> accordingly: &s;o al&s;o by
<PB N="155" REF="78">
<HI>Detraction</HI> of parts: as <HI>Wax</HI> by &s;eparating it from the
<HI>honey, Spirits</HI> from the Phlegm, and other <HI>Chymical
principles</HI> by <HI>fire,</HI> as might be infinitely exemplified.</P>
<LG>
<L>At manife&s;ta pal&agrave;m res indicat, inquis, in auras:</L>
<L>Aeris &egrave; terra res omnis cre&s;cere, alique, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But you'll object all things from Earth do &s;pring</L>
<L>Up into th' Air<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, and thence have nouri&s;hing&punc;</L>
</LG>
<P>To which objection that the Plants and Animals derive
their nutrition from the four <HI>Elements,</HI> it is an&s;wered,
That tho&s;e <HI>Elements</HI> are nor really the fir&s;t Principles
of them; for they are <HI>indi&s;cernable,</HI> the&s;e are <HI>evident:</HI>
But thus it is, that in the&s;e compounded <HI>Elements</HI> tho&s;e
&s;o ab&s;tracted and <HI>inconcrete</HI> are di&s;gui&s;ed and <HI>latent:</HI>
through which it happens, that whil&s;t the&s;e <HI>Vegetables</HI>
&s;eem to receive their nouriture from the moi&s;ture of
the &s;howers, and propitious warmth of the Sun, each
of our Poets <HI>Corpu&s;cles</HI> contribute to tho&s;e of the &s;ame
nature, and which are <HI>homogeneous</HI> to them.</P>
<LG>
<L>Namque eadem coelum, mare, terras, flumina, &s;olem</L>
<L>Con&s;tituunt: eadem fr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ges, arbu&s;ta, animantis.</L>
<L>&V;er&ugrave;m aliis, alioque modo commi&s;ta moventur.</L>
<L>Quinetiam pa&s;sim no&s;tris in ver&s;ibus ip&s;is</L>
<L>Multa elementa vides multis communia verbis:</L>
<L>C&ugrave;m tamen inter &s;e ver&s;us, ac verba nece&s;&s;e e&s;t</L>
<L>Confiteare &amp; re, &amp; &s;onitu di&s;tare &s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">anti</L>
<L>Tantum elementa queunt permutato ordine &s;olo.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For they'r the &s;ame which heaven con&s;titutes</L>
<L>Sun, Seas, Earth, Streams, Shrubs, Animals and Fruits:</L>
<L>Although with different motions mixt they be,</L>
<L>Ju&s;t as each where in the&s;e our lives you &s;ee</L>
<L>To divers words are many letters found</L>
<L>Common, which differ much in &s;en&s;e and &s;ound:</L>
<L>Such change variety of Letters brings, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>They all con&s;i&s;t of the very &s;ame Atomes and <HI>Corpu&s;cles,</HI>
however different and remote they &s;eem to be, as being
generally compo&s;ed of the &s;ame common matter; and
therefore &s;ince all <HI>&s;ublunary</HI> things have their principles
common with the <HI>Cele&s;tial,</HI> it is not hard to conceive
how things are thus daily repaired and nouri&s;hed&punc; by
<PB N="156" REF="79">
participating of their aid and influence: nor how by
this wonderful permutation of po&s;ture and order, &s;uch
<HI>E&s;&s;ential</HI> differences of things &s;hould be produced: but
&s;o it fares with them, as with the di&s;po&s;ition and va|rious
location of tho&s;e <HI>Miranda Naturae</HI> (as <HI>Vo&s;sius</HI> calls
them) a few <HI>Letters:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Diodor. Sic. l. 12. Tus. qu. 1. de Arte Gram.</NOTE> the po&s;ition of &s;ix or &s;even notes
in <HI>Mu&s;ick,</HI> the admirable and &s;tupendious variety of
<HI>Sums</HI> by <HI>Figures,</HI> the di&s;tinction of <HI>words,</HI> change of
<HI>tunes,</HI> and diver&s;ity of <HI>numbers;</HI> if it be really &s;o in the&s;e
familiar In&s;tances, what admirable variety cannot then
the chances and &s;undry po&s;tures of <HI>Atomes</HI> (our <GAP DESC="foreign">
and Principles produce? And indeed the compari&s;ons
are exceedingly <HI>appo&s;ite;</HI> &s;ince in all confu&s;ed and tumul|tary
commi&s;&s;ion of either, neither articulate <HI>words,</HI> nor
proportionable <HI>numbers:</HI> nor la&s;tly, harmonious <HI>Con|&s;orts,</HI>
could po&s;&s;ibly re&s;ult from them. So neither in
the&s;e <HI>Natural things, Atomes</HI> are not in general to be
thought fit, and apt to produce and con&s;titute all &s;orts
of <HI>Concretes;</HI> but &s;uch onely as are indued with a par|ticular
and prone di&s;po&s;ition. The &s;ame is likewi&s;e to
be conceived of their final <HI>di&s;&s;olutions</HI> and de&s;truction:
Conclude we therefore in our <HI>Poets Epiphonema,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Tantum Elementa queunt permutato ordine &s;olo.</L>
<L>At rerum quae &s;unt primordia, plura adhibere</L>
<L>Po&s;&s;unt, unde queant variae res quaeque creari.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Such change variety of Letters brings;</L>
<L>But Elements, which are indeed of things</L>
<L>The Principles, are able to induce</L>
<L>Greater, and more variety produce.</L>
</LG>
<P>But now room for another Philo&s;opher, whom our <HI>Ca|rus</HI>
thus a&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ults,</P>
<LG>
<L>Nunc &amp; Anaxagorae &s;crutemur homoeomeriam, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And now let us a little ca&s;t our eye</L>
<L>On th' Anaxagor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">an <HI>Homoeomerie.</HI></L>
</LG>
<P>This <HI>Anaxagoras</HI> was di&s;ciple of <HI>Anaximenes</HI> and <HI>Phere|cydes</HI>
the Syrian,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ari&s;t. de nat, deor. l. 1. Polyd. de Invent. rer. l. 1. c. 11. Plin. l. 2. c. 58.</NOTE> and the opinion there recited by <HI>Lucre|tius,</HI>
is thought to have been taken out of a Book which
he compo&s;ed of <HI>Phy&s;iologie,</HI> &s;o recommended by <HI>Socrates</HI>
in <HI>Plato.</HI> He confe&s;&s;ed <HI>God</HI> to be a Spirit diffu&s;ed through
<PB N="157" REF="79">
all the creatures, which he repre&s;ented under the noti|on
of <HI>Intellectus.</HI> In this encounter our Poet &s;hews&punc; how
<HI>Epicurus</HI>'s Principles differed from his <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;imilar
parts, or rather <GAP DESC="foreign">, which we may better in|terpret
<HI>&s;imilarity,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
from the &s;imilitude and re&s;emblance of the parts to
the things re&s;ulting of them; as if the things we eat and
drink, <HI>bread, wine, fle&s;h, &amp;c.</HI> did actually contain with|in
them &s;ome latent particles of blood, fle&s;h, bones,
nerves, &amp;c. becau&s;e of &s;uch our bodies are both com|po&s;ed
and nouri&s;hed; whereas Particles rightly &s;epa|rated
by the <HI>natural faculty,</HI> are indeed applicable to the
<HI>bloody, carnous, bony,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>pre-exi&s;tent</HI> parts; for albeit
&s;uch parts as he comprehends under <GAP DESC="foreign">, be <HI>di&s;si|milar</HI>
one to the other, as <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ones, &s;tones, blood, entrails, &amp;c.</HI>
yet con&s;i&s;ted they of <HI>&s;imilar</HI> parts; which here our <HI>Carus</HI>
thinks be&s;t to expre&s;s by a Greek word (as in &s;ome <HI>edi|tions</HI>
the characters likewi&s;e them&s;elves declare) being by
his own confe&s;&s;ion unable to finde a term &s;ufficiently &s;ig|nificant
and comprehen&s;ive throughout the whole <HI>La|tine</HI>
tongue.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lambini.</NOTE> In &s;hort, this Philo&s;opher taught, that
<HI>bones</HI> were made, and did encrea&s;e of &s;mall and minute
<HI>bones, blood</HI> of united drops of <HI>blood, Gold</HI> of golden grains.
<HI>Fire</HI> of <HI>Sparks,</HI> &amp;c. and (as the notion <HI>imports</HI>) that all
things el&s;e in the world con&s;i&s;ted of <HI>&s;imilar</HI> particulars: but
with all this he yet utterly denies a <HI>vacuum,</HI> and main|tains
the infinite divi&s;ions of bodies, contrary to the
doctrine of <HI>Epicurus:</HI> by both which, as well Principles
them&s;elves, as what re&s;ulted from them, were obnoxi|ous
to ruine and de&s;truction, which our <HI>Carus</HI> condemns
as mo&s;t egregious errors in Philo&s;ophy,</P>
<LG>
<L>Adde quod imbecilla nimis primordia <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ingit;</L>
<L>Si primordia &s;unt, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Be&s;ides, if the&s;e his Principles he names</L>
<L>They are too <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">eeble, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>Whereas Principles remain mo&s;t &s;olid and unimpeach|able:
Now the&s;e for con&s;i&s;ting but of the &s;ame nature
with their corruptible <HI>compounds,</HI> cannot in rea&s;on be
imagined capable to &s;urvive them, but mu&s;t in conclu&s;i|on
fail and annihilate.</P>
<LG>
<PB N="158" REF="80">
<L>Praeterea quoniam cibus auget corpus, alitque;</L>
<L>Scire licet nobis venas, &amp; &s;anguen, &amp; o&s;&s;a,</L>
<L>Et nervos alienigenis ex partibus e&s;&s;e, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Be&s;ides &s;ince meats augment the body, and</L>
<L>Do nouri&s;h it, then may we under&s;tand</L>
<L>That veins, blood, bones, and likewi&s;e &s;inews may</L>
<L>Con&s;i&s;t of divers parts, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>The body augments, and is nouri&s;hed with meats; but
that very food which we u&s;e for this purpo&s;e, con&s;i&s;ts
not of one kinde alone: &s;ome of it is <HI>bread,</HI> &s;ome <HI>fle&s;h, fruit,
wine,</HI> &amp;c. which are rarely all of them <HI>alienigenous</HI> and
di&s;-like <HI>inter &s;e; ergo,</HI> neither do our <HI>entrails, veins</HI> nor
<HI>blood,</HI> nor indeed any other parts of compo&s;ition con&s;i&s;t
of <HI>&s;imilar</HI> parts. And if this be not in&s;tance &s;uffici|ent,</P>
<LG>
<L>Transfer item; totidem verbis, utare licebit:</L>
<L>In lignis &s;i flamma latet, fum&uacute;&s;que, cin&iacute;&s;que:</L>
<L>Ex alienigenis con&s;i&s;tant ligna, nece&s;&s;e e&s;t, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Change now the &s;ubject, keep the Terms &s;till good;</L>
<L>If flame, &s;moak, a&s;hes, all do lurk in Wood,</L>
<L>The wood of divers parts it will imply, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Thus, if <HI>Anaxagoras</HI> object, that all things are blended
and confu&s;edly mixed together in all things, but do &s;o
internally lie hid, that nothing appear to view, &s;ave
what is mo&s;t gro&s;s, extrin&s;ecal, predominant and a|bounding
therein; as, admit them particles of <HI>milk,</HI>
or <HI>blood,</HI> which did domineer in any compo&s;ition; then
he called that, which &s;o appeared, by the name of
<HI>blood, milk, &amp;c. &agrave; praedominio.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Quod tamen &agrave; vera long&egrave; ratione repul&s;um 'st.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Which is as far from truth&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And why?</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Conveniebat enim fruges quoque &s;aepe minutas,</L>
<L>Robore cum &s;axi franguntur, mittere &s;ignum</L>
<L>Sanguinis: aut aliquid, no&s;tra quo corpora aluntur, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="159" REF="80">
<L>&mdash;For then &s;hould corn</L>
<L>Beneath the weighty mil&s;tone ground and worn</L>
<L>Into &s;mall parts, &s;ome &s;tains of blood there &s;hed,</L>
<L>Or &s;omething whereof we are nouri&s;hed.</L>
</LG>
<P>And other things which we feed on, and which gene|rate
our <HI>blood,</HI> and produce our <HI>humors, bowels, bones,
&amp;c.</HI> would appear; and by the &s;ame rea&s;on we may as
well expect milk from <HI>herbs,</HI> &s;mall <HI>cions; trees</HI> and <HI>&s;eeds</HI>
of every <HI>&s;pecies,</HI> when men delve the earth, without
the indu&s;try of planting; for if all things be thus uni|ver&s;ally
mixed, we might then certainly finde as well
all things in every particular thing; yea, <HI>Grapes of Thorns,
and figs of Thi&s;tles.</HI></P>
<P>For all this, &s;ain would <HI>Anaxagoras</HI> confirm his opi|nion;
becau&s;e (&s;aith he) I &s;ee fire to be produced by
the colli&s;ion of &s;tones, and other ob&s;tinate things
forced one again&s;t another; which in the mean time,
our Poet conceives to be onely the <HI>&s;eeds</HI> of fire, &s;ince if
it were really <HI>fire,</HI> we mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity perceive al&s;o
the <HI>&s;moak, a&s;hes,</HI> and other in&s;eparable accidents there|of,
when at any time men cleave or excorticate wood
for their u&s;e:</P>
<LG>
<L>At &s;aepe in magnis fit montibus (inquis) ut altis</L>
<L>Arboribus vicina cacumina &s;umma terantur</L>
<L>Inter &s;e, validis facere id cogentibus au&s;tris,</L>
<L>Donec flammai ful&s;erunt flore coorta.</L>
<L>Scilicet, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But thou affirm'&s;t on Mountains which a&s;pire,</L>
<L>That tops of trees are oft times &s;et on fire</L>
<L>Till they do flame again with glowing heat,</L>
<L>When Southern winds them on each other beat:</L>
</LG>
<P>That this &s;ometimes &s;ucceeds, an accident in <HI>Thucydi|des,</HI>
and frequent experience confirms, and our <HI>Carus</HI>
denies it not; yet it does not proceed from any actual
fire in them; but there are certain &s;eminal Atomes
which include indeed a potential fire, which being ex|tremely
agitated, moved, and by that means the body
opened are freed from their pri&s;ons, can produce &s;uch
an effect, or conflagration: but far from what <HI>Anaxa|geros</HI>
dreamed of, and therefore he is fixed to the purity
<PB N="160" REF="81">
and immixture of his Principles, which being common
to many things, according to their <HI>po&s;ition,</HI> compo&s;e and
terminate in &s;uch and &s;uch <HI>Individuals,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Jamne vides igitur, paullo quod diximus ant&egrave;,</L>
<L>Permagni referre eadem primordia &s;aepe,</L>
<L>Cum quibus, &amp; quali po&s;itura contineantur?</L>
<L>Et quos inter &s;e dent motus, accipiantque?</L>
<L>Atque eadem paullo inter &s;e mutata creare</L>
<L>Ignes &egrave; lignis? quo pacto verba quoque ip&s;a</L>
<L>Inter &s;e paullo mutatis &s;unt elementis,</L>
<L>Cum <HI>ligna,</HI> atque <HI>Ignis</HI> di&s;tincta voce notemus.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>See you not then (as we ob&s;erv'd even now)</L>
<L>It much imports of the &s;ame &s;eeds to know</L>
<L>With what, and in what po&s;ture being joyn'd,</L>
<L>What motions are receiv'd, and what a&s;&s;ign'd,</L>
<L>And how together changed they create</L>
<L><HI>Fire</HI> out of <HI>wood,</HI> ju&s;t as the words relate,</L>
<L>The Letters but a little chang'd when we</L>
<L><HI>Lignum</HI> and <HI>Ignem</HI> plainly &s;ignifie.</L>
</LG>
<P>For wood is compounded of a very va&s;t variety of <HI>Cor|pu&s;cles,</HI>
which being &s;o and &s;o di&s;po&s;ed, con&s;titute the
forms as well thereof, as of divers other things le&s;s <HI>con|crete;</HI>
as &s;ome purer and moveable bodies therein may
&s;pecifie and produce <HI>fire, flame, &s;moak, &amp;c.</HI> according
to its <HI>compo&s;ition, den&s;ity, coherence, laxity</HI> and <HI>re&s;olution,
&amp;c.</HI> &s;o that there is in truth onely this &s;imple connexi|on,
di&s;po&s;ition and fabrick of the parts at any time de|&s;troyed,
when the <HI>matter</HI> is fired and (to all appearance)
con&s;umed; <HI>viz.</HI> its external <HI>form, &s;pecies,</HI> and <HI>accidents</HI>
which denominate it <HI>wood;</HI> the re&s;t being re&s;olved into
<HI>flame, fire, &s;moak, a&s;hes, phlegm, &s;pirits, &s;alts, &amp;c.</HI> all
which are tho&s;e minute particles that do <HI>&s;eminarily</HI> lurk
therein, though never &s;o imperceptible to our &s;en&s;es:
And as touching their connexion of what forms, and
how apt our principles are to effect that work, we &s;hall
&s;hortly demon&s;trate.</P>
<LG>
<L>Denique jam quaecumque in rebus cernis apertis,</L>
<L>Si fieri non po&s;&s;e putas, quin materiai</L>
<L>Corpora con&s;imili natura praedita fingas:</L>
<L>Hac ratione tibi pereunt primordia rerum;</L>
<L>Fiet, uti ri&s;u tremulo concu&s;&s;a cachinnent,</L>
<L>Et Lacrumis fal&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> humectent ora gena&s;que.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="161" REF="81">
<L>La&s;tly, if in things obvious to our eyes,</L>
<L>You think they cannot be made otherwi&s;e,</L>
<L>Except you &s;hall a &s;imilar matter finde</L>
<L>For every body in its &s;everal kinde,</L>
<L>Then by this means the principles of all</L>
<L>Are quite de&s;troy'd, &s;o that it mu&s;t befall</L>
<L>They can into exce&s;&s;ive laughter break,</L>
<L>Or wet with briny tear the face and cheek.</L>
</LG>
<P>If there remain nothing &s;ave <HI>Corpu&s;cles</HI> in the world, and
that they re&s;ult from <HI>&s;imilar principles,</HI> then mu&s;t they
in like manner be <HI>concrete, rational</HI> and <HI>animate</HI> things,
&s;uch as <HI>principles</HI> cannot be imagined; for if things &s;en|&s;ible
nece&s;&s;arily con&s;i&s;t of parts of the like nature, this
ab&s;urdity will of con&s;equence en&s;ue, that <HI>functions, af|fections</HI>
and <HI>actions</HI> &s;hould di&s;tinctly be a&s;cribed to cer|tain
<HI>Elements</HI> proper onely to them; and &s;o tho&s;e <HI>mem|branes</HI>
and <HI>nerves,</HI> the pores, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> The <HI>pores</HI> of the brain o|pened
by the received motion of &s;everal <HI>objects,</HI> which
do not onely concern and &s;tir up &s;uch and &s;uch particu|lar
<HI>mu&s;cles,</HI> apt to the moving of tho&s;e <HI>members,</HI> but
which do even touch the very <HI>fibers</HI> of the <HI>Heart</HI> it &s;elf,
and other <HI>Organs;</HI> upon which, as on a <HI>Harp,</HI> expre&s;&s;i|ons
and <HI>accents</HI> of <HI>&s;orrow, joy, fear, anger</HI> and other
<HI>perturbations</HI> and affections of <HI>&s;pontaneous motion</HI> are in|cited,
mu&s;t forthwith have every one of them its parti|cular
<HI>ridiculous</HI> or <HI>lachrymant principles;</HI> now that
<HI>principles</HI> &s;hould be <HI>joyful</HI> or <HI>Lugubrous,</HI> were very ridi|culous
<HI>Philo&s;ophy</HI> indeed. However, &s;ome later Philo&s;o|phers
&s;eem to favour the <HI>Anaxagoran</HI> opinion, and that
the&s;e <HI>affections</HI> do really <HI>praee&s;&s;e in Elementis;</HI> though nor
altogether after the &s;ame manner <HI>quo in homine.</HI> S. <HI>Au|gu&s;tine</HI>
may be a little &s;u&s;pected too, where he a&s;&s;erts
<HI>Omnium rerum Sem ina occulta extare ab initio.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o our Poet concludes his di&s;pute with the
Greek Philo&s;ophers, who were in truth the chief op|pugners
of his doctrine. But becau&s;e what remains will
be &s;omewhat difficult to comprehend, in mo&s;t ele|gant
Ver&s;es (which really declare him to have
been an incomparable Ma&s;ter in the faculty) ingeni|ou&s;ly
confe&s;&s;es what it is which makes him &s;o indefati|gably
pur&s;ue it; namely, the fame and future glory of his
per&s;on, e&s;pecially, when (like him) men attempt &s;uch
difficulties as were never before adventured on; and
<PB N="162" REF="82">
the rather in Ver&s;e, that being matter hugely ab&s;tru&s;e,
the deliciou&s;ne&s;s of his charming <HI>numbers</HI> may render it
more agreeable to the <HI>Reader, carmen autem compo&s;itum,
&amp; oratio cum &s;uavitate decipiens, capit mentes, &amp; quo volue|rit
impellit,</HI> &s;aith the eloquent <HI>Lactantius,</HI> emulating
herein the Phy&s;ician, who being about to admini&s;ter any
unplea&s;ant <HI>do&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">De vero cultu c. 21. Muret. var. lect. l. 6. c. 3.</NOTE> either gilds the Pill, or conveys it in &s;ome
&s;weet and tempting <HI>potion;</HI> which pa&s;&s;age, not onely
<HI>Themi&s;tius</HI> in an oration <HI>ad Nicomedien&s;es</HI> did make bold
with, but the incomparable <HI>Ta&s;&s;o</HI> hath thus tran&s;lated in
his fir&s;t <HI>Canto, Str.</HI> 3.</P>
<LG>
<L>Sed veluti pueris ab&s;inthia, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For as who children bitter wormwood give.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Cos&igrave; &agrave; l'egro fanciul porgiamo a&s;per&s;i</L>
<L>Di &s;o avi licor gli orli del va&s;o:</L>
<L>Succhi amari ingannato intanto ei beve,</L>
<L>E dal' Inganno &s;uo vita receve, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>And I thus Interpret,</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>So we to the &s;ick childe a cup appoint</L>
<L>Who&s;e brim with &s;ome &s;weet liquor we annoint;</L>
<L>That &s;o he drink the bitter juice we give,</L>
<L>Deceiv'd, and being thus decived, Live.</L>
</LG>
<P>The nature of <HI>Infinite</HI> being the next di&s;cour&s;e, he thinks
a propo&s;ition &s;o confounding and intricate, cannot be
hui&s;her'd in with too &s;oft and elegant language; for now
he endeavors to &s;hew what <HI>bounds</HI> are pre&s;cribed to the
un&s;table and eternal motions of his foregoing <HI>principles,</HI>
what <HI>&s;pace</HI> or <HI>vacuum</HI> they really employ, as whe|ther,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;finitum funditus omne</L>
<L>Con&s;tet; an Immen&s;um pateat va&s;teque profundum.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;It admit of any bound,</L>
<L>Or &s;tretch immen&s;ly to a va&s;t profound&punc;</L>
</LG>
<P><HI>That is, whether there be any term and limits to this
va&s;t &s;um of</HI> principles. <HI>For</HI> Epicurus <HI>raught,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
&amp;c. <HI>That an infinite concour&s;e of</HI> atomes <HI>re|quired
<PB N="163" REF="82">
an</HI> inanity <HI>and &s;pace as infinite to comprehend
them: Which opinion our Poet here a&s;&s;erts, and the</HI>
Orator <HI>thus,</HI> In hac igitur immen&s;itate Latitudinum, Longi|tudinum,
Altitudinum,<NOTE PLACE="marg">De Nat. Deor.</NOTE> infinita res innumerabilium volitat
Atomorum, quae interjecto inani, &amp;c. <HI>For &s;o our Philo&s;o|pher.
That this</HI> &V;niver&s;e <HI>or</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>was</HI> Infinite, <HI>not an
unlimited</HI> Vacuum, extramundum <HI>or</HI> Coelum, <HI>as it &s;eems, &s;ome
others; his rea&s;on is &s;ubjoyned,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Omne quod e&s;t igitur, nulla regione viarum</L>
<L>Finitum '&s;t: namque extremum debebat habere, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Then &s;ure this <HI>All</HI> can no way finite be,</L>
<L>For then it mu&s;t have &s;ome extremitie.</L>
</LG>
<P>The Nature of <HI>Finite</HI> is to have an <HI>extremity,</HI> the pro|perty
of extream, that &s;omething contain it; <HI>ergo,</HI> that
which is <HI>finite</HI> is circum&s;cribed by &s;omething; but that
which is <HI>extra univer&s;um</HI> is nothing; therefore hath it al|&s;o
no <HI>extremity,</HI> and is con&s;equently unlimitted: Which,
&s;aith <HI>Cicero,</HI> the eyes in our head, as well as tho&s;e of our
imagination convince us of; for the one <HI>ex alio extrin&s;ecus
cernitur; at quod omne e&s;t, id non cernitur ex alio extrin&s;ecus:</HI>
as he hath acutely argued it, <HI>lib.</HI> 2. <HI>de divinitate,</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Nunc, extra &s;ummam quoniam nihil e&s;&s;e fatendum e&s;t,</L>
<L>Non habet extremum: caret ergo fine, modoque,</L>
<L>Nec refert quibus ad&s;ist as regionibus ejus,</L>
<L>&V;&s;que ade&ograve;, &amp;c.</L>
<L>Since then beyond the whole we needs mu&s;t grant</L>
<L>Nothing remains, it term and bound mu&s;t want,</L>
<L>Nor ought imports it on what clime one &s;tands,</L>
<L>Since infinite, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Nature indeed, according to the <HI>Schools,</HI> abhors <HI>Infinite,</HI>
nay even the plurality of <HI>Infinites</HI> is contradictory and
impious; but our Philo&s;opher not herewith &s;atisfied,
endeavors to &s;hew us &s;omething which may involve all,
and that there is nothing more ab&s;urd, then to enquire
for any thing <HI>extra Infinitum.</HI></P>
<P>For, &s;aith he, let it be imagined that one can run ne|ver
&s;o far with hopes to arrive at the la&s;t to this wall or
fanta&s;tick limit; yet he &s;hall &s;oon finde him&s;elf at an
infinite lo&s;s; for where ever he goes, or conceits it to
be, he &s;hall perpetually encounter infinite parts&punc; or
<PB N="164" REF="83">
admit yet that there were indeed &s;uch an imaginary
extream,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Si quis procurrat ad oras</L>
<L>&V;ltimus extremas, jaciatque volatile telum;</L>
<L>Invalidis utrum contortum viribus ire,</L>
<L>Quo fuerit mi&s;&s;um mavis, longe&abque; volare;</L>
<L>An prohibere aliquid cen&s;es, ob&s;tar&eacute;que po&s;&s;e?</L>
<L>Alterutrum fatearis enim, &s;uma&s;que nece&s;&s;e e&s;t,</L>
<L>Quorum utrumque tibi effugium praecludit, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Suppo&s;e one running to the place</L>
<L>Where that extreme were, &s;hould throw forth a dart</L>
<L>Think you 'twould fly directly to that part</L>
<L>The &s;trong arm aim'd it at, and pa&s;s out right,</L>
<L>Or would &s;omething oppo&s;e it in the flight?</L>
<L>For one of them you mu&s;t at lea&s;t confe&s;s</L>
<L>Whil&s;t either doth your Argument di&s;tre&s;s:</L>
</LG>
<P>Which convincing in&s;tance, I finde al&s;o u&s;ed by the
rational <HI>Bruno,</HI> who hath written an expre&s;s and curi|ous
treati&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Scipi|onis Capi|ci lib. 1. de rerum principiis</NOTE> not onely to prove the Infinity of <HI>Space;</HI>
but that even of <HI>worlds,</HI> what concerns our <HI>Poet,</HI> hear
him thus de&s;cribe, <HI>Mi pare co&s;a ridicola, &amp;c.</HI> In earne&s;t
(&s;aith he) methinks 'tis extremely ridiculous to affirm,
that without the heavens there &s;hould be <HI>nothing,</HI> and
that the heaven is a thing in it &s;elf, placed as it were <HI>per
accidens</HI> (i.)<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dialog. 1.</NOTE> by its own parts (or be their meaning by
the&s;e notices what they plea&s;e them&s;elves) it is impo&s;&s;i|ble,
and they cannot decline it, but they mu&s;t make
two of one; &s;ince there will eternally remain <HI>one</HI> and
<HI>another; viz.</HI> the <HI>containing,</HI> and the <HI>contained,</HI> and in
&s;uch &s;ort <HI>another</HI> and <HI>another,</HI> that the continent mu&s;t be
<HI>incorporeal,</HI> the contained <HI>corporeal;</HI> the one <HI>immoveable,</HI>
the other <HI>moveable;</HI> the one <HI>Mathematical,</HI> the other
<HI>Phy&s;ical;</HI> but be this Superficies whatever, I demand
eternally what there is beyond it? if it be replyed, that
there is <HI>nothing,</HI> then 'tis <HI>Void;</HI> and &s;uch an <HI>Inanity</HI> as
hath no extreme; bounded indeed on this part towards
us, which is yet more difficult to imagine, then that
the <HI>&V;niver&s;e</HI> &s;hould be immen&s;e and <HI>Infinite,</HI> becau&s;e we
can then no way avoid <HI>Vacuum,</HI> if we will admit the
<HI>Whole</HI> to be finite, &amp;c. But I pur&s;ue him no farther&punc;
Our <HI>Metaphy&s;ical</HI> eyes di&s;cern (as th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">y conceive) the
bounds of two worlds, whereof &s;ome imagine the
<PB N="165" REF="83">
upreame&s;t <HI>heaven</HI> to be the term of this; and the <HI>con|vexity</HI>
of that, the boundary of the other; but how
that &s;hould then be habitable (as likewi&s;e they a&s;&s;ert)
where is neither <HI>Locus, Plenum,</HI> nor <HI>Vacuum, Time,</HI> nor
<HI>Motion,</HI> nor any thing el&s;e (for &s;o they affirm al&s;o) is in|finitely
&s;trange, and will require &s;econd Cogitations.
Well, but our <HI>Author</HI> concludes, as there is a &s;pace in
which this material world of ours actually is; &s;o it may
not be denied, but that <HI>another,</HI> and <HI>another,</HI> even to
infinite, perpetually equivalent to what this Machine
employs, may likewi&s;e &s;ub&s;i&s;t in that va&s;t and unlimited
Space.</P>
<P>As for the <HI>Weapon</HI> by which our <HI>Poet</HI> introduces the
<HI>Explorator</HI> of this boundary, if any thing re&s;i&s;t the flight
thereof, needs it mu&s;t be &s;omething that is a body; but
we learn that <HI>Corpus</HI> is <HI>in univer&s;o;</HI> if now nothing im|pead
it, then there is no end: for if there were, then
&s;hould the <HI>dart</HI> either &s;tick in the <HI>pale,</HI> or recoil towards
the <HI>Jaculator:</HI> farther then this it could not po&s;&s;ibly
proceed. Now this <HI>Argument</HI> is alledged to an&s;wer this
objection, that the Univer&s;e might <HI>&s;e ip&s;o finiri,</HI> and its
extremity be taken comparatively to the internal parts,
and not by any relation <HI>ad aliquid exterius,</HI> and he &s;ub|joyns
the ab&s;urdity, becau&s;e, as it follows &s;oon after;
for,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Spatium &s;ummai totius omne</L>
<L>&V;ndique &s;i inclu&s;um certis con&s;i&s;teret oris,</L>
<L>Finit&uacute;m&abque; foret; jam copia materiai</L>
<L>&V;ndi&abque; p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">nderibus &s;olidis confluxet ad imum, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;If this all every where</L>
<L>With bounds impaled be, and finite were,</L>
<L>Then would the &s;tore of matter on each &s;ide</L>
<L>Beneath through poi&s;e of &s;olids downwards &s;lide.</L>
</LG>
<P>That is, if it were <HI>finite,</HI> and had either <HI>centre</HI> or <HI>medium</HI>
to which matter might tend, it would have long &s;ince
come to pa&s;s, that al <HI>Matter</HI> being depre&s;&s;ed in that place,
could never have afterwards <HI>produced</HI> any thing; which
<HI>term</HI> I make bold to u&s;e, that I may expre&s;s both <HI>Geri</HI>
and <HI>Geni,</HI> for which there is no little &s;tir 'twixt the
<HI>Critical</HI> Interpreters of this place. The &s;en&s;e of our
Author is, Principles could never have altered their pre|&s;ent
po&s;ition and conjunctu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">s; and &s;o by con&s;equent,
<PB N="166" REF="84">
men mu&s;t have expected no more creations. New com|po&s;itions
or repairing of things decayed in the world,
which we have hitherto de&s;cribed to be their con&s;tant
and natural office whil&s;t they were thus pre&s;&s;ed, and
&s;urcharged under a burthen &s;o va&s;t and weighty; for
that being naturally heavy as devoid of <HI>inanition</HI> (the
&s;ole principle or cau&s;e of Levity) they mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity
have been thus mi&s;erably percipitated,</P>
<LG>
<L>At nunc nimirum requies data principiorum</L>
<L>Corporibus nulla e&s;t; quia nihil e&s;t funditus imum,</L>
<L>Quo qua&s;i confluere, &amp; &s;edes ubi ponere po&s;&s;int:</L>
<L>Semper &amp; a&s;&s;iduo motu res quaeque geruntur</L>
<L>Partibus in cunctis, aetern&aacute;&abque; &s;uppeditantur</L>
<L>Ex infinito cita corpora materiai.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But now have principles no re&s;t at all,</L>
<L>Since there's no bottom into which they fall</L>
<L>Or flowing tend, and make a fixt repo&s;e;</L>
<L>But each thing by a&s;&s;iduous motion goes</L>
<L>Through all parts, and th'eternal bodies be</L>
<L>(Thus mov'd) &s;upplyed from Infinitie.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>La&s;tly,</L>
<L>Po&s;trem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> ante oculos rem res finire videtur:</L>
<L>Aer di&s;&s;aepit collis, atque aera montes:</L>
<L>Terra mare, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;That one thing th'other bounds is plain,</L>
<L>For Aire inve&s;ts the Hills, Hills aire again,</L>
<L>And Earth the Seas, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>Our incomparable Poets la&s;t argument, taken from the
evidence of our own &s;en&s;es, which the learned <HI>Bruno</HI>
thus illu&s;trates: Our very eyes (&s;aith he) acknowledge
as much; becau&s;e &s;till we &s;ee that one thing ever com|prehends
the other; <HI>&amp; mai &s;entiamo ne con e&s;terno, ne con
interno &s;en&s;o co&s;a non compre&s;a da altra O &s;imile, &amp;c.</HI> And
there is nothing which terminates it &s;elf: In fine, after
no le&s;s then eight arguments he concludes, <HI>Che non &s;i puo
negare il &s;pacio infinito &s;e non con la voce, come fanno gli perti|naci,
&amp;c.</HI> nor can it be denyed (he addes) but by the
lewdne&s;s and clamor of &s;ome impertinents, whom he
there convinces in no fewer then twenty &s;kilful and very
clo&s;e arguments, which it would be here over prolix to
<PB N="167" REF="84">
repeat. In &s;hort thus, There is nothing which contains
or can indeed be &s;aid to embrace and bound the Uni|ver&s;e,
but is immen&s;ly profound, and in a manner infi|nite,
&s;o as the mo&s;t rapid rivers, and exuberant &s;treams
in the world can never arrive to the limits thereof; and
therefore do they unce&s;&s;antly glide. Out of this va&s;t &s;pace
new and never failing &s;upplies are brought to every
thing by a perpetual &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of a like number of
<HI>Atomes</HI> to a like number, <HI>Et mede&s;ime parti di materia
c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">n le mede&s;ime, &s;empre &s;i convertano,</HI> as the &s;ame <HI>Bruno</HI> ex|pre&s;&s;eth
it, which is clearly the minde of <HI>Epicurus;</HI> who
proves that not onely the Univer&s;e is infinite from its
number of <HI>Atomes</HI> or indefinitene&s;s of <HI>Vacuum,</HI> but by
both together (for &s;o the ver&s;es immediately declare)
yet, not as if this <HI>&V;niver&s;e</HI> were <HI>continuous,</HI> but that
there are &s;ome empty <HI>inter&s;tices</HI> or <HI>intermundiums</HI> di&s;tant
from the body; for</P>
<LG>
<L>Ip&s;a modum porr&ograve; &s;ibi rerum &s;umma parare</L>
<L>Ne po&s;&s;it, natura tenet: quia corpus inani,</L>
<L>Et quod inans a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">tem'st, finiri corpore cogit:</L>
<L>&V;t &s;ic alternis infinita omnia reddat.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Nature her &s;elf &s;eems this to have de&s;ign'd,</L>
<L>That the whole ma&s;s of things be not confin'd.</L>
<L>Becau&s;e &s;he bodies both in void includes,</L>
<L>And into bodies void again intrudes</L>
<L>Alternately; &s;o that with one and other</L>
<L>She renders all things Infinite together.</L>
</LG>
<P>Excluding all maner of doubt touching their immen&s;ity,
without at all contradicting their natures &amp; operations.
In the mean time the ob&s;curity of the three en&s;uing lines,
hath made &s;ome learned Commentators de&s;ert them as
inexplicable, whil&s;t yet, they &s;eem to pre&s;ent us with
this &s;en&s;e. If either there were onely an <HI>Infinite</HI> or <HI>im|moderate-immixed&punc;
Vacuum,</HI> without as infinite a number
of <HI>Atomes</HI> or bodies to give it <HI>term</HI> and limits; or were
there an infinity of <HI>bodies,</HI> and not as infinite a &s;pice for
them to act in (for <HI>Corpus terminatur inani, &amp; inane cor|pore</HI>)
then</P>
<LG>
<L>Nec mare, nec tellus, nec Coeli lucida templa,</L>
<L>Nec mortale genus, nec div&ucirc;m corpora &s;ancta</L>
<L>Exiguum po&s;&s;ent horai &s;i&s;tere <HI>tempus.</HI></L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="168" REF="85">
<L>&mdash;Seas nor Earth</L>
<L>Nor bright cele&s;tial man&s;ions mortal birth,</L>
<L>Nor &s;acred bodies of the Gods &s;o pure</L>
<L>Could the lea&s;t portion of time endure.</L>
</LG>
<P>Nor could any thing enjoy the lea&s;t permanency, but
all would incontinently be di&s;&s;olved; for it doth not
appear that <HI>he</HI> any where affirmed, the <HI>Corruption of
one thing was the product of another,</HI> according to the
vulgar &s;en&s;e of <HI>Schools;</HI> and peradventure he had con|&s;idered
tho&s;e creatures which are &s;o long nouri&s;hed by
&s;leep and other &s;olitary ways: as <HI>Bears, Tortoi&s;es, Dormice,</HI>
&s;ome &s;orts of Summer <HI>Birds,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">In locum.</NOTE> <HI>Flies,</HI> and other <HI>In&s;ects;</HI>
w^c^h makes <HI>Nardius</HI> thus wittily exclaim, <HI>Edaciores proinde
at&abque; infirmiores &s;unt Lucretiani Divi, gliribus ab&s;tinentibus,
&amp;c.</HI> That <HI>Lucretius</HI>'s <HI>Gods</HI> were more hungry, voratious
and weak then even <HI>Dormice,</HI> and &s;uch ab&s;temious and
incon&s;iderable Animals. He thought that portion of
matter which is nece&s;&s;ary for the quotidian &s;upply of de|caying
compounds, would have el&s;e been lo&s;t, and utter|ly
di&s;per&s;ed in &s;o va&s;t, bottomle&s;s, and indeterminate
<HI>Aby&s;s:</HI> nor that any thing could ever likely meet again,
produce, or create, if &s;upplies were not equally as in|finite.
The truth is, there is no &s;uch extream difficulty
to comprehend a &s;pace in a manner indeterminate (to
&s;ay <HI>Infinite</HI> were impious) &s;o many learned per&s;ons
having contended; the <HI>Infinite God</HI> being able to effect
things infinitely exceeding our &s;lender &s;peculations. <HI>He|raclitus</HI>
&s;aith, <GAP DESC="foreign">.
That the greate&s;t of <HI>Gods</HI> wonderful works were
not known to &s;ome men, becau&s;e of their <HI>incredulity.</HI> And
as <HI>Chry&s;ippus</HI> addes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lactant. de ira dei.</NOTE> <HI>Si quid e&s;t quod efficiat ea, quae homo licet
ratione &s;it praeditus, facere non po&s;sit; id profecto e&s;t majus,
&amp; fortius &amp; &s;apientius homine, &amp;c.</HI> if there be any thing
created which exceeds the skill and utmo&s;t comprehen|&s;ion
of the wi&s;e&s;t man upon earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Moun|tague. E&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ys, l. 2 p 695. paris, 1587.</NOTE> it is certainly made
by one who is infinitely greater, more powerful and
wi&s;er then man, &amp;c. And &s;o an actual multiplicity, though
not infinity of worlds there may be, whil&s;t we content
our &s;elves with the belief of a po&s;&s;ibility that there may
be more then we are aware of: For <HI>Indefinite</HI> is not <HI>Infi|nite,</HI>
man may not finde the <HI>Term,</HI> and yet a <HI>Term</HI> there
may be. Let men only mode&s;tly remember to re&s;erve the
<PB N="169" REF="85">
<HI>Infinite</HI> which the <HI>Divines</HI> term <HI>E&s;&s;entiae,</HI> that the &s;pecu|lation
may be the &s;afer. The rational aud acute <HI>Bruno</HI>
(&s;o frequently cited) hath travelled far on this Argu|ment:
<HI>Sed Concedamus, ut impune de mundis deliravit.</HI> We
are not to look on him as the fir&s;t that broached it,
<HI>Anaximenes, Xenophon, Zeno</HI> being all of the &s;ame <HI>Creed;
Thales</HI> indeed affirmed that there was but one <HI>World,</HI> and
that created by <HI>God. Empedocles</HI> taught the &s;ame, but
yet he held it to con&s;i&s;t of a very &s;mall particle of the
Univer&s;e. <HI>Democritus</HI> and <HI>Epicurus</HI> &s;poke aloud that there
were infinite worlds, the&s;e are followed by their di&s;ciple
<HI>Metrodorus,</HI> who believed them innumerable, becau&s;e
their <HI>Cau&s;es</HI> were &s;o: and that it was not le&s;s ab&s;urd to
affirm but one <HI>World</HI> in the Univer&s;e, then that a fruit|ful
and luxurious field &s;hould produce but one &s;ingle
<HI>&s;pike</HI> of Corn. As for the plurality of <HI>Continents</HI> (of
which Mon&s;ieur <HI>Borel</HI> hath promi&s;ed an expre&s;s <HI>Treati&s;e</HI>)
truly &s;uch as are conver&s;ant in tho&s;e admirable <HI>Specula|tions</HI>
which the late mo&s;t perfect <HI>Tele&s;cops</HI> pre&s;ent us, may
(in my judgement) without the aid of any extraordinary
fanta&s;ie, imagine the many apparences both of the <HI>Moon</HI>
and other cele&s;tial <HI>Bodies</HI> to be &s;omething more <HI>analogi|cal</HI>
to what many late writers have reported and de|livered
of them, then tho&s;e who onely gaze on them
with a le&s;s di&s;cerning and di&s;cour&s;ive eye, the want of
<HI>In&s;truments,</HI> or a <HI>prejudicate</HI> and ob&s;tinate opinion; and
for my part, &s;o long as the con&s;ideration of the&s;e things
doth rather add to and heighten the adoration of that
infinite power of the great <HI>God,</HI> who is &s;aid to have
<HI>created the worlds,</HI> I &s;hall forbear to cen&s;ure &s;uch as have
favored and promoted the&s;e Doctrines and Opinions;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1, 2. 11. 3.</NOTE>
among&s;t whom I e&s;teem many of our late and be&s;t <HI>A&s;tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">|nomers,</HI>
not onely <HI>thinking,</HI> but <HI>rational</HI> and <HI>exploring</HI> per|&s;ons;
for &s;uch were <HI>Kepler, Tyco, Galilaevs, De&s;cartes, Ga&s;|&s;endus,
Hevelius,</HI> and divers others of extraordinary
note; and yet I &s;hall not be ob&s;tinate or too dogmati|cal,
<HI>adeo nefas existimandum e&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de origine erroris.</NOTE> <HI>ea &s;crutari quae Deus voluit
e&s;&s;e caelata.</HI> Whether there be or no, <HI>God</HI> onely knows,
who is both <HI>intus</HI> and <HI>foris,</HI> not as <HI>in Loco;</HI> but as being
<HI>Ens Infinitum principi&uacute;m&abque; cui omne innititur Ens.</HI> Con|clude
we therefore this infinitely confounding di&s;cour&s;e,
&s;o difficult and incomprehen&s;ible, with tho&s;e appo&s;ite
words of Pliny writing of the <HI>Globe</HI> of this va&s;t <HI>&V;ni|ver&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lib. 2. c. 1. hi&s;t. nat.</NOTE>
<HI>Furor e&s;t</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>profecto furor e&s;t egredi ex eo,
&amp; tanquam ejus cunct a plan&egrave; jam &s;int nota ita &s;crutare extra;
<PB N="170" REF="86">
qua vero men&s;uram ullius rei po&s;sit agere qui &s;ui ne&s;ciat, aut
mens hominis videre quae mundus ip&s;e non capiat.</HI> 'Tis a
madne&s;s in earne&s;t, a meer madne&s;s to go out of it, and
&s;o to be perpetually &s;eeking without, as if already we
had attained to a perfect cognizance of the things which
are within; as if he who knows not his own, could
take the exact dimen&s;ions of another thing; or that the
wit of any man &s;hould pretend to perceive tho&s;e things
which the very world it &s;elf cannot comprehend.</P>
<P>Well, but po&s;&s;ibly to &s;alve this pre&s;cribed number of
<HI>Atomes,</HI> &s;ome 'tis conceived might yet object, that albeit
the <HI>Space</HI> were never &s;o infi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ite, and that indeed the
Principles being <HI>finite,</HI> might therein &s;eem to be at &s;o
de&s;perate a lo&s;s, as in all likelihood never to make an
hapy encounter again; yet by a <HI>Providence,</HI> or &s;ome
Almighty power all this might be compo&s;ed, and they
brought about to meet and unite as at the fir&s;t: when
as <HI>Mercator</HI> and &s;ome others with a little alteration
fancied, that the great Architect &s;hould fa&s;ten a <HI>Centre</HI>
into the <HI>Vacuum</HI> or <HI>Thohu,</HI> qualified &s;o, as that it could
&s;ummon into it &s;elf all the <HI>congenial</HI> parts of the <HI>Chaos,</HI>
which in a moment properate to it, and &s;o become <HI>co|agmentated</HI>
into one <HI>Globe</HI> by an <HI>equilibration</HI> of parts to
the <HI>Centre</HI> of gravity.</P>
<P>This <HI>hypothe&s;is</HI> that <HI>Epicurus</HI> might ab&s;olutely re&s;ute
(who as hath been &s;hewed, had but a very &s;lender opi|nion
of any divine hand in the oeconomic and mode|ration
of &s;ublunary things, be&s;ides his di&s;mi&s;&s;ion of any
<HI>Centre</HI>) the greatly mi&s;taken man tells us, that we are
in no wi&s;e to conceive as if the&s;e Principles did range
them&s;elves into &s;o goodly an order by any &s;uch di&s;po&s;i|on,
providence, or regular proceedure,</P>
<LG>
<L>Nam cert&egrave; neque con&s;ilio primordia rerum</L>
<L>Ordine &s;e quaeque atque &s;agaci mente locarunt:</L>
<L>Nec q<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">os quae&abque; darent motus pepigere profect&ograve;:</L>
<L>Sed quia multa modis multis mutata per omne</L>
<L>Ex infinito vexantur percita plagis,</L>
<L>Omne genus motus, &amp; coetus experiundo;</L>
<L>Tandem deveniunt in talis di&s;po&s;ituras,</L>
<L>Qualibus haec rebus con&s;i&s;tit &s;umma creata, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="171" REF="86">
<L>For lets not think the&s;e principles did range</L>
<L>Them&s;elves in order, and by coun&s;el change,</L>
<L>That each particular motion was decreed</L>
<L>Before by compact; But 'twas this indeed,</L>
<L>That pa&s;&s;ing frequent changes, and in tho&s;e</L>
<L>Induring as it were eternal blows,</L>
<L>After all Trials did in fine quie&s;s</L>
<L>In the &s;ame po&s;ture which they now po&s;&s;e&s;s,</L>
<L>Whence the whole &s;um of all things el&s;e are made.</L>
</LG>
<P>The <HI>Stoicks</HI> were of opinion, that the <HI>Worlds</HI> had been
frequently de&s;troyed, or rather decayed and di&s;&s;olved
by time; but that &s;till, <HI>Phoenix</HI> like, they were con|tinually
re&s;tored from the a&s;hes as it were of the expiring
Fabrick. Now <HI>Epicurus</HI> makes this <HI>re&s;tauration</HI> to pro|ceed
from the changes and fortunate encounter of his
<HI>Atomes;</HI> or indeed it was rather the invention of <HI>Leu|cippus</HI>
fir&s;t; touching the <HI>fortuitous</HI> motion whereof, we
do not take our <HI>Philo&s;opher</HI> as intending <HI>Fortune,</HI> or any
<HI>divine</HI> and di&s;po&s;ing <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI> but meerly the happy and
chancely <HI>coition</HI> of tho&s;e bodies and principles which
begat the Univer&s;e. This magazine or <HI>Caos</HI> of <HI>Atomes</HI>
being of &s;o different figures, &s;hapes, dimen&s;ions, inde|fatigably
and re&s;tle&s;ly moving <HI>too</HI> and <HI>fro, up</HI> and <HI>down,</HI>
in <HI>Space</HI> unlimitted and infinite <HI>inanity,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lib. 1. de finibus.</NOTE> <HI>in quo</HI> (&s;aith
<HI>Cicero) nec &s;ummum, nec infimum, nec medium, nec ultimum,
nec extremum &s;it;</HI> the&s;e <HI>Individua Corpora</HI> (I &s;ay) continu|ally
ju&s;tling, urging and crowding one another by &s;o in|ce&s;&s;ant
an inquietude and e&s;tuation, upon all encoun|ters
imaginable, and for &s;o many <HI>myriads</HI> happly of ages,
and long time, having thus e&s;&s;ayed, as it were, all po&s;|&s;ible
configurations, changes, po&s;tures, &s;ucce&s;&s;ions,
mutual aud reciprocal agitations, chanced (O wondrous
chance!)<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>See</HI> Bru|no. Dialo|go 2 p. 47 ad 50. Virg. Ecl. 6. Nam&abque; canebat uti mag|num per inane coacta.</NOTE> at la&s;t, <HI>once,</HI> every one of them, to encoun|ter,
con&s;ent (tho&s;e of like forms meeting and uniting to|gether)
and fall into that goodly Fabrick and admira|ble
<HI>Architecture</HI> of the <HI>&V;niver&s;e</HI> or World, which with
&s;o much <HI>Exta&s;ie</HI> and wonder we daily contemplate; and
in this in&s;tant it was that the gro&s;s precipitated down<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">wards,
compelling the more ea&s;ie and light upwards,
which convening in the circumference of the immen&s;e
<HI>Poles</HI> wedged each other into the form of that Canopy
which we call the <HI>Heaven</HI> or <HI>expan&s;um.</HI> Hence from the
more compacted re&s;ulted the ma&s;s of <HI>Earth,</HI> whil&s;t the
<PB N="172" REF="87">
remanent of a more middle nature, upon the concour&s;e
of its conden&s;ed <HI>particles</HI> ran into the humid &s;ub&s;tance;
part whereof being afterward fitly prepard, was exalted
into tho&s;e glorious luminaries which adorn the cele&s;tial
concave; whil&s;t the re&s;idue was re&s;erved for the compo|&s;ition
of other bodies. What &s;hall I adde more? <HI>Im|plevit
numerum perfectae in&s;aniae,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de ira dei.</NOTE> <HI>ut nihil ulterius adjici po&s;&s;et,</HI>
whil&s;t he denies <HI>God</HI> to have any hand in all this, and
makes the Creation of the world not unlike &s;ome fears
performable by the &s;upreme <HI>Elixir</HI> or <HI>Philo&s;ophers</HI> &s;tone.
For indeed what greater madne&s;s can there be, then to
imagine that a <HI>Sword</HI> or a <HI>Book</HI> were made <HI>propter finem,</HI>
for &s;ome <HI>end,</HI> and that the whole <HI>&V;niver&s;e,</HI> the great
<HI>Code of Nature,</HI> our <HI>Eyes</HI> and other members, <HI>Plants,</HI> and
a thou&s;and <HI>natural</HI> and wonderful <HI>Curio&s;ities</HI> (&s;o far &s;ur|pa&s;&s;ing
all things of <HI>Art</HI>) &s;hould re&s;ult from <HI>chance</HI> onely?
But yet however new and very ridiculous this Sy&s;teme
may &s;eem, as oppugned by the eloquent <HI>Lactantius,</HI> and
the captiv'd-learned of other Ages &s;ince, who have part|ed
with their liberty to the <HI>Stagirit,</HI> by an ab&s;olute bar|gain
and &s;ale without power of redemption (<HI>Automation</HI>
onely, and &s;o fortuitous, ca&s;ual and impiuos conjuncture
exploaded) this Methodical <HI>Hypothe&s;is</HI> is not of &s;o va&s;t
difficulty for a rational, pious, and practical <HI>Philo&s;opher</HI>
to believe and relie on, as happily appears at the fir&s;t
di&s;covery.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Method.</NOTE> I remember it is the opinion of the great
<HI>Carte&s;ius,</HI> that though <HI>God</HI> had given no other <HI>form</HI> to
the <HI>World</HI> then that of the <HI>Chaos,</HI> &s;o that, e&s;tabli&s;hing
<HI>Laws</HI> to <HI>Nature,</HI> he had afforded his concurrence that it
&s;hould &s;o <HI>act,</HI> as u&s;ually <HI>&s;he</HI> doth, one might &s;afely be|lieve
(without violating the <HI>Miracle</HI> of the <HI>Creation</HI>) that
by it alone all things which are purely <HI>material,</HI> might in
time have rendered them&s;elves &s;uch as we now behold
them to be: But if there be any who &s;hall plea&s;e to
<HI>di&s;&s;ent,</HI> or de&s;ire a more evident demon&s;tration of our
former &s;eeming <HI>Paradox,</HI> let the <HI>Reader</HI> con&s;ult the in|comparable
and often cited <HI>Petrus Ga&s;&s;endus</HI> his Animad|ver&s;ions
on <HI>Diog. Laert. l</HI> 10. <HI>p.</HI> 193. and particularly <HI>de
exortu mundi;</HI> or if he will be &s;atisfied by tradition, as
it is rarely well explained to his hand in that learned
digre&s;&s;ion of our ingenious Dr. <HI>Charleton,</HI> where this
our <HI>Poets Theory</HI> of Atomes is mo&s;t artificially and per|&s;picuou&s;ly
demon&s;trated; the &s;um whereof being much
to our pre&s;ent purpo&s;e, is, that the di&s;&s;iculty of re&s;olving
how this <HI>Ma&s;s</HI> on which we dwell, and of which indeed
<PB N="173" REF="87">
we partly are, &s;hould be compo&s;ed of <HI>Principles</HI> &s;o de|&s;cribed,
will appear to be no &s;uch va&s;t incongruity, if
we give our &s;elves leave but gradually to con&s;ider,
and imagine the earth as but one &s;olitary part of the
<HI>&V;niver&s;e,</HI> compo&s;ed of many &s;uch conge&s;tions; and
then by con&s;equence we mu&s;t grant that the Ball may be
coagmentated of many &s;maller portions or ma&s;&s;es heaped
one upon another; as &s;ometimes mountains from an ag|gregation
of rocks; the&s;e rocks from an accumulation
of Stones; the&s;e &s;tones again, from a multitude of
grains of &s;and; that &s;and, from an a&s;&s;embly of du&s;t;
and la&s;tly, the du&s;t, from a le&s;s (but innumerable) col|lection
of imperceptible Atomes or <HI>Principles.</HI> I &s;hall
not proceed to his exact Arithmetical &s;uppo&s;itions upon
25 cyphers &s;ucce&s;&s;ively po&s;ited to exhibite a number
of <HI>granules</HI> or terrella's competent to the bulk of the
world it &s;elf; becau&s;e I will not weary my <HI>Reader.</HI> But
touching the fortuitous production of the <HI>&V;niver&s;e,
fru&s;tis quibu&s;dam temer&egrave; concurrentibus,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">w indeed of the
<HI>Ancients</HI> favored the opinion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lact. de ira dei.</NOTE> and therefore with the
<HI>Father, quanto melius fuerat tacere, quam in u&s;us tam mi&s;e|rabiles,
tam inanes habere linguam!</HI> yet what they have
&s;aid, written and confe&s;&s;ed of the <HI>Fir&s;t Mover,</HI> is very
admirable, con&s;idering that they had onely natural rea|&s;on
for their guide. <HI>Thales Mile&s;ius, Pythagoras, Plato,
&amp;c.</HI> the learned <HI>Grotius</HI> in his a&s;&s;ertion of the <HI>verity of
Chri&s;tian Religion,</HI> &s;ums them all together, and makes
it evident that they a&s;cribed it onely to <HI>God;</HI> nay, that
the <HI>Almighty</HI> was even <HI>him&s;elf</HI> in all things; as the <HI>Apo|&s;tle</HI>
doth truly and divinely <HI>philo&s;ophize</HI> to the &s;uper&s;titi|ous
<HI>Athenians;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17. 28.</NOTE> yea, and <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> (as much an <HI>Athei&s;t</HI>
as many take him to have been) held it in his more ma|ture
and &s;erious thoughts, as may be deduced from di|vers
expre&s;&s;ions in his book <HI>de mundo</HI> (if his with <HI>Ju&s;tin
Martyrs</HI> e&s;teem thereof; or the late <HI>Fort. Licetas,</HI> who
hath &s;omewhere given us a learned vindication of that
great man. As for any other chancely production (&s;uch
as our <HI>Epicurus,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">de Reli|gione Ari|&s;totelis. Vide Cic. de Fat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>Heraclitus, Empedocles, Parmenides, De|mocritus,
Leucippus</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> &s;eemed at fir&s;t to endulge)
by which all things were con&s;trained to act by certain fa|tal
nece&s;&s;ities; that objection how tho&s;e curious animals,
perfect and admirable plants, &amp;c. could by a commence|ment
&s;o ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">aordinary be &s;o exqui&s;itely built, compo&s;ed
and excogitated, as that the meer con&s;ideration even of
a Gnat, or the eye of a &s;illy Fly, the lea&s;t particle of
<PB N="174" REF="88">
the <HI>Microco&s;m</HI> (mans body) hath been able to open the
eyes of one of the worlds mo&s;t learned <HI>Athei&s;ts,</HI> with|out
the Divine <HI>Providence</HI> and &s;ome Omnipotent <HI>Cau&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Galen. de u&s;u parti|um. l. 3.</NOTE>
is undoubtedly not to be imagined, much le&s;s demon|&s;trated,
well therefore might he thus break out, <HI>Com|pono
hic profecto canticum in creatoris no&s;tri laudem;</HI> and
who that &s;hall &s;eriou&s;ly contemplate this, can hold
from joyning in the <HI>Canticle</HI> with him? for &s;o may we
with as much rea&s;on believe that a great volume of ex|qui&s;ite
<HI>Sentences,</HI> the hi&s;torical relation of &s;ome intricate
and veritable affair, or <HI>Epique Poem</HI> in ju&s;t and exact
mea&s;ures &s;hould re&s;ult from the fortuitous and acciden|tal
mi&s;chance of a <HI>Printers Alphabet,</HI> the letters falling
out of their ne&s;ts confu&s;edly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plin. l, 37 c. 1. Alex. ab. Alex. genial. dier. l. 5. c. 9. Al|bert. Mag. in Meteor Majolus. Pancirol. c. 17.</NOTE> without the di&s;po&s;ition
of either Author or Arti&s;t. It is very true, that a preg|nant
and mechanick imagination may in &s;uch a multifa|rious
variety of &s;ome <HI>variegated Achates,</HI> and extrava|gantly
veined <HI>marbles,</HI> fan&s;ie many pretty, and even
wonderful things; but be&s;ides that this is very rare,
&s;ave in <HI>Chymaera's,</HI> and that for mo&s;t part to melancholy
per&s;ons; I pre&s;ume never any yet affirmed to have &s;een
them move, <HI>Relieve</HI> or di&s;cour&s;e, unle&s;s &s;uch as were
abu&s;ed <HI>Oracles,</HI> and tho&s;e who yet di&s;cern not the im|po&s;ture
of the blood, &s;weat and motion of Images, like
that which commended St. <HI>Tho.</HI> of <HI>Aquine,</HI> and bad St.
<HI>Bernard</HI> good-morrow: of which number it were at pre|&s;ent
&s;omewhat difficult to make me.</P>
<P>Well, the fortunate marriage and <HI>co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">tion</HI> of the&s;e
<HI>Principles</HI> hapning during the progre&s;s of &s;o many at|tempts
into &s;o goodly a fabrick, hath ever &s;ince con|tinued
&s;o; affording matter, and all competent &s;upples,
both for the repar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">tion and compo&s;ition of each indivi|dual;
having ever &s;ince directly &s;teered that cour&s;e and
orderly po&s;ture, from whence the &s;um of all things are
derived: or as our <HI>Poet</HI> better,</P>
<LG>
<L>Qualibus haec rebus con&s;i&s;tit &s;umma creata:</L>
<L>Et multos etiam magnos &s;ervata per annos.</L>
<L>&V;t &s;emel in motus conjecta e&s;t convenientis,</L>
<L>Efficit, ut largis avidum mare fluminis undis</L>
<L>Integrent amnes, &amp; &s;olis terra vapore, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<PB N="175" REF="88">
<L>Whence the whole &s;um of all things el&s;e are made,</L>
<L>And keeing in due motion do not fade,</L>
<L>Nor are at all impeach't: for many yeers</L>
<L>This ma&s;s pre&s;erv'd in its fit po&s;ture, &s;teers</L>
<L>The Cour&s;e of rivers, and doth cau&s;e they keep</L>
<L>With pregnant waves intire the greedy deep:</L>
<L>That the Sun quickned earth renews her fruits:</L>
<L>That Animals bring forth, and new recruits</L>
<L>Cheri&s;h aethereal fires, which in no wi&s;e</L>
<L>Could be, unle&s;s aboundant matter ri&s;e</L>
<L>From infinite; whence all that lo&s;t have been</L>
<L>Are wont in time to be repaid again.</L>
</LG>
<P>That is, they have never &s;ince that moment deviated
from their original de&s;igned, &s;tated and equal motions;
nor &s;unk any lower, to hinder or di&s;compo&s;e the re&s;t;
for without this infinite &s;upply of matter, <HI>Rivers</HI> them|&s;elves
would have become channels of du&s;t; the <HI>Sun</HI>
and <HI>Planets</HI> waxed cold, dim, and without influence:
the <HI>Vegetables</HI> wither, and our very bodies emerge to an
utter de&s;truction both of the <HI>Species</HI> and <HI>Individual.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Nam veluti privata <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ibo natura animantum</L>
<L>Diffluit amittens corpus; &s;ic omnia debent</L>
<L>Di&s;&s;olvi, &s;imul ac defecit &s;uppeditare</L>
<L>Materies recta regione aver&s;a viai.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For, as in Animals of nouri&s;hment</L>
<L>Depriv'd, bodies are lo&s;t, and nature's &s;pent;</L>
<L>So all things mu&s;t di&s;&s;olve, when matter flies,</L>
<L>Or deviating fails of due &s;upplies.</L>
</LG>
<P>To &s;hew us after what &s;ort, without con&s;tant and mate|rial
&s;upplies, the decay of compounds and <HI>concretes</HI> would
infallibly happen: for he &s;uppo&s;ed that even the <HI>world</HI>
it &s;elf was obnoxious to this decay and final di&s;&s;olution
by a perpetual <HI>percu&s;sion;</HI> yet that &s;o ordered, as that
the <HI>force</HI> was every where <HI>partial,</HI> and no where <HI>affect|ing</HI>
the <HI>whole;</HI> &s;o that in this re&s;piration or e&s;cape of
<HI>Principles,</HI> there remains a convenient &s;pace and oppor|tunity
for new recruits, where there is need of them.
And this I take to be the minde of our <HI>Author</HI> in this ob|&s;cure
pa&s;&s;age,</P>
<LG>
<PB N="176" REF="89">
<L>Cudere enim crebr&ograve; po&s;&s;unt, part&eacute;m&abque; morari.</L>
<L>Dum veniant aliae, ac &s;uppleri &s;umma qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">atur:</L>
<L>Interdum re&s;ilire tamen coguntur, &amp; un&agrave;</L>
<L>Principiis rerum &s;patium, temp&uacute;&s;&abque; f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">gai</L>
<L>Largiri, ut po&s;sint &agrave; Coetu libera ferri, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Strike they indeed might often, and thereby</L>
<L>Retard a part till they the whole &s;upply:</L>
<L>Others again rebound, and are compell'd</L>
<L>A &s;pace for principles of things to yeeld</L>
<L>And time to &s;lip away: that they might be</L>
<L>(Thus di&s;-united) &s;et at libertie, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>For <HI>Principles</HI> do not eternally cohear and remain thus
in compounded bodies; but tho&s;e which are loo&s;e and
di&s;engaged wander up and down at liberty, till they be
coupled with &s;ome others by the &s;ame ju&s;t encounter
and fortunate chances; &s;ince it is perpetually that <HI>prin|ciples</HI>
do wear off from things, and have no lea&s;e of eter|nity
to continue them for ever. He concludes,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Suboriri multa nece&s;&s;e est.</L>
<L>Et tamen ut plagae quoque po&s;sint &s;uppetere ip&s;ae</L>
<L>Infinita opus e&s;t vis undique materiai, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Therefore there is extream nece&s;&s;ity</L>
<L>That &s;till of things &s;pring up variety;</L>
<L>And that there &s;hould be infinite &s;upplies</L>
<L>Of matter, which may for tho&s;e &s;trokes &s;uffice.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But we ha&s;ten to another,</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Illud in his rebus long&egrave; fuge credere, Memmi,</L>
<L>In medium &s;ummae quod dicunt omnia niti, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>To the&s;e things <HI>Memmius</HI> then no credit lend</L>
<L>When they &s;ay all things to the Centre tend;</L>
</LG>
<P>Pur&s;uing his opinion of <HI>Infinite,</HI> our <HI>Poet</HI> admoni&s;hes
his friend of the infection of the <HI>Peripateticks, Stoicks,</HI>
and ancient <HI>Academicks:</HI> And in &s;hort, whoever a&s;&s;ert|ed
but one <HI>&s;olitary</HI> and finite <HI>univer&s;e,</HI> and by con&s;equent
that there was no definite <HI>centre</HI> towards which every
ponderous thing did &s;pontaneou&s;ly incline and verge;
<PB N="177" REF="89">
as on the contrary, that every light thing did mount
upward; <HI>v. g.</HI> that the <HI>earth</HI> was &s;u&s;teined by the en|deavor
and &s;houldring up of &s;omething beneath it; &s;ee|ing
<HI>Epicurus</HI> (who both affirmed a plurality of worlds,
Infinite exten&s;ion, &amp;c.) granted neither middle nor ex|treams
to any thing: &s;o that upon our <HI>Poets</HI> account,
there was none of tho&s;e natural <HI>tendencies</HI> of heavy and
light things, &s;ince in a &s;pace <HI>undeterminate</HI> and unlimit|ted,
every place might with as much rea&s;on be &s;aid to
be <HI>center</HI> as any particular; and indeed <HI>Plato</HI> him&s;elf
&s;eems to que&s;tion any <HI>Sur&s;um</HI> or <HI>Deor&s;um</HI> in nature at all&punc;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">t. in Tem.</NOTE>
for (&s;aith he) the whole heaven is round, 'twere ab|&s;urd
therefore to call any part higher or lower as in re|lation
to the middle. Nor think, &s;aith our <HI>Carus,</HI>
That,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Quae pondera &s;unt &s;ub terris, omnia &s;ur&s;um</L>
<L>Nitier, in terr&aacute;mque retr&ograve; requie&s;cere po&s;ta, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>All tho&s;e weights beneath be upwards pre&s;t</L>
<L>That they may on this Hemi&s;phere repo&s;e.</L>
</LG>
<P>At the very <HI>Central Subterranean</HI> point, which a&s;cend to
the <HI>Superficies,</HI> and there remain like a piece of <HI>coyn</HI> in
the bottom of a ba&s;in of water, which to one that ob|liquely
ob&s;erves, &s;eems by the continual <HI>refraction</HI> to
a&s;cend and <HI>librate</HI> upon the &s;urface thereof,</P>
<LG>
<L>&V;t per aquas quae nunc rerum &s;imulacra videmus.</L>
<L>Et &s;imile ratione animalia &s;ubtus vagari</L>
<L>Contendunt, neque po&s;&s;e &egrave; terris in loca Coeli</L>
<L>Recidere inferiora magis qu&agrave;m corpora no&s;tra</L>
<L>Sponte &s;ua po&s;sint in Coeli templa volare:</L>
<L>Illi c&ugrave;m videant &s;olem, nos &s;idera noctis</L>
<L>Cernere. &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Whence they maintain that as calm water &s;how<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"></L>
<L>Shaddows, and Images of things, that &s;o</L>
<L>Beneath our Feet &s;ome Animals do go,</L>
<L>Which on th'inferior regions of the &s;kie</L>
<L>Can no more fall, then may our bodies flie</L>
<L>Up to Cele&s;tial thrones; that they &s;ee light</L>
<L>Of Sun, when we enjoy the &s;tars of night.</L>
</LG>
<P><PB N="178" REF="90">
For he laughed at the conceit of <HI>Antipodes,</HI> where
weights al&s;o tended to the <HI>Center,</HI> as with us; or that
men &s;hould really walk as our &s;hadows appear to do&punc;
when we are by the margent of &s;ome calm water: That
there were places where the inhabitants enjoy'd &s;uc|ce&s;&s;ion
of &s;ea&s;ons; and where Creatures could no more
fall downwards, then our bodies here mount upwards,
and knock their heads again&s;t the oppo&s;ite hemi&s;phere;
of which it &s;eems a few (even in our Poets time) had
&s;ome faint conjectures, as may be collected by the &s;coff
which <HI>Demonactes</HI> put upon one that di&s;cour&s;ed with
him of tho&s;e who inhabited the regions <GAP DESC="foreign">,
where leading one of them to the mouth of a we<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">l, <HI>Num|quid</HI>
(&s;aith he) <HI>tales e&s;&s;e Antipodas a&s;&s;eris?</HI> The &s;ame con|ceit
I &s;uppo&s;e it was, which made <HI>Lucius</HI> (as <HI>Plutarch re|ports</HI>)
deride tho&s;e <HI>opiners</HI> in his time,<NOTE PLACE="marg">De mac. in Orbe, Lun.</NOTE> who fancied men
to crawl there with their backs downwards, like <HI>Cats,
Mice,</HI> and <HI>Spid<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> upon the walls and ceelings of our
hou&s;es,</P>
<LG>
<L>Sed Vanus &s;tolidis haec omnia finxerit error:</L>
<L>Amplexi quod habent perver&s;ae prima viai, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But &s;ome fond error fir&s;t the&s;e things devis'd</L>
<L>'Mong&s;t &s;illy men, for that they nere compris'd</L>
<L>The pure originals of things aright.</L>
</LG>
<P>And indeed I ea&s;ily believe that our <HI>Poet</HI> (who <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">tis likely
with <HI>Ju&s;tin Martyr</HI> and others, took the heavens for a
Tent or the flat cover of a box) little dreamt of our
<HI>Antipodes;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">De Di|vin. Iu&s;t. l. 3. c. 23. De civit. dei l. 16. c. 9. <HI>See</HI> Aco|&s;ta, l. 1. c. 11.</NOTE> when even many wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">e men, and greatly il|luminated
per&s;ons, particularly <HI>Lactantius,</HI> and St. <HI>Au|gu&s;tine,</HI>
were for &s;undry ages &s;o difficult of belief, as may
be well perceived in the &s;tory of <HI>Virgilius a German Bi|&s;hop,</HI>
recited by <HI>Aventinus</HI> in <HI>hi&s;t. Bojorum&punc;</HI> who
had like to have &s;hrewdly &s;uffered for a little &s;avouring
of this mi&s;taken <HI>Here&s;ie;</HI> onely we finde in <HI>Plutarch de
Placitis Philo&s;.</HI> that <HI>Oecetos</HI> affirmed there were two <HI>earths,</HI>
'twixt which <HI>Philolaus</HI> a di&s;ciple of his inter&s;erted ano|ther
continent of <HI>Fire;</HI> which opinion <HI>Sandivogius</HI> and
other <HI>Hermetick Philo&s;ophers</HI> have al&s;o illu&s;trated:<NOTE PLACE="marg">In novo|lum: In Medea.</NOTE> but
that which the <HI>Tragedian</HI> hath left us upon <HI>record,</HI> if it
were not by in&s;piration and <HI>prophecy,</HI> was certainly (next
that of our Poets rare encounter of <HI>Atomes</HI>) mo&s;t happi|ly
gu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ed,</P>
<LG>
<PB N="179" REF="90">
<L>Venient anni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ecula &s;eris</L>
<L>Quibus Oceanus vincula rerum</L>
<L>Laxet, &amp; ingens pateat tellus,</L>
<L>Typhi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">que novos detegat Orbes</L>
<L>Nec &s;it Terris ultima Thule,</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Hereafter there an Age &s;hall &s;pring,</L>
<L>Wherein the bands of every thing</L>
<L>Seas &s;hall enlarge, <HI>Typhis</HI> moreover</L>
<L>Large Tracts, and <HI>New worlds</HI> &s;hall di&s;cover,</L>
<L>Then <HI>Thule</HI> the <HI>Earth</HI> &s;hall bound no more.</L>
</LG>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Lucretius</HI> imagined the <HI>Earth</HI> to be as
it were riveted, or rooted in the <HI>Aire,</HI> as <HI>Anaxagoras</HI> did
according to <HI>Ari&s;totle,</HI> and that the <HI>radices</HI> thereof
were <HI>fungous,</HI> light, and of no con&s;iderable weight to|wards
its foundation: where as it approached <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">igher
and deeper, &s;o it became more thin, delicate, and of
neer affinity to the aire, &s;o as we may conceive &s;ome
<HI>&s;ponge</HI> or plant to grow in the &s;ea; and that onely the
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">uperior face or inhabitable part, was the compacted,
&s;olid and heavy. Thus <HI>Lucretius</HI> and &s;ome others,
thought good to give the world a <HI>Cu&s;hion,</HI> whil&s;t com|mi&s;erating
the mi&s;takes of the re&s;t of <HI>mankinde,</HI> he tells
them that their ignorance onely proceeded from this ill
comprehending and mi&s;-information of his <HI>Princi|ples;</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Nam medium nihil e&s;&s;e pote&s;t, ubi inane loc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;que</L>
<L>Infinita: n'que omnino, &s;i jam medium &s;it,</L>
<L>Po&s;sit ibi quidquam hac potius con&s;i&s;tere cau&s;&s;&acirc;,</L>
<L>Qu&agrave;m quavis alia long&egrave; regione manere.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For &s;ince that <HI>void</HI> and <HI>place</HI> are infinite,</L>
<L>Nothing can center be; or if there were</L>
<L>A <HI>medium,</HI> yet no rea&s;on doth appeare</L>
<L>To prove, that it &s;hould but in one place dwell,</L>
<L>And in another not be found as well.</L>
</LG>
<P>For, as hath been &s;aid, <HI>Epicurus</HI> admitted not of any
<HI>Center</HI> or <HI>Medium,</HI> the &s;pace being infinitely <HI>Vacuum.</HI>
But as touching the motion of his Principles, he affirm|ed
that there was a <HI>Superior</HI> or an <HI>Inferio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> Region</HI> from
whence they freely came in a perpendicular and paral<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">l
<PB N="180" REF="91">
motion perpetually de&s;cending; yet &s;o, as that from
what&s;oever part they i&s;&s;ued (as &s;uppo&s;e it in re&s;pect to
our common accep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ation, from beneath our feet, or
over our heads, <HI>Zenith</HI> or <HI>Nadir</HI>) ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>that,</HI> he e&s;tabli&s;hed
for <HI>above,</HI> whence they came; a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">d, <HI>that,</HI> for, <HI>beneath,</HI> whi|ther
they tended: albeit, I &s;ay, they &s;eemed in our ap|prehen&s;ion,
to mount upwards, fly obliquely, or colla|terally,
from what point of the <HI>Compa&s;s</HI> &s;oever. As for
<HI>Plato</HI>'s opinion of <HI>medium &amp; extremum</HI> we are to under|&s;tand
it comparatively, as that to be <HI>inferum</HI> towards
which a body did &s;pontaneou&s;ly and naturally <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">end:
that <HI>&s;upremum</HI> whither that body was compelled by force;
of which &s;ort of motions, whether they be performed
naturally, or by &s;ome clande&s;tine and <HI>magnetick</HI> attracti|on
<HI>impre&s;&s;ed,</HI> or by any other exi&s;tent qualities of the
<HI>Peripateticks,</HI> let the more <HI>learned</HI> define, it would appear
a digre&s;&s;ion uncapable of an <HI>Apology,</HI> to dilate thereon
in this place. We conclude therefore with our
Poet.</P>
<LG>
<L>Haud igitur po&s;&s;unt tali ratione teneri</L>
<L>Res in con&s;ilio medii cuppedine victae:</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Things therefore cannot in &s;uch &s;ort be joyn'd,</L>
<L>As to the middle by de&s;ire inclind.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Praeterea, quoniam non omnia corpora fingunt</L>
<L>In medium niti, &s;ed terrarum, atque liquoris,</L>
<L>Humorem ponti, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Be&s;ides 'tis clear, becau&s;e they do not faign</L>
<L>As if all bodies would the center gain;</L>
<L>But &s;uch alone as mo&s;t terre&s;trial be</L>
<L>And liquid, like the waters of the &s;ea, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>Which two la&s;t <HI>ver&s;es</HI> together with a full dozen fol|lowing,
<HI>Diony&s;ius Lambinus</HI> hath placed next the four
extream lines of the fir&s;t book: but finding no other
<HI>edition</HI> to follow him in the tran&s;po&s;ition; nor indeed
that it doth much import the &s;en&s;e (which all agree to
be one of the mo&s;t ob&s;cure pa&s;&s;ages in our <HI>Author</HI>) I
have cho&s;en rather to follow the more frequent and ge|neral
impre&s;&s;ions, the thing being no more then this&punc;
<HI>Lucretius</HI> findes fault with his <HI>Antagoni&s;ts,</HI> that whil&s;t
they fir&s;t affirmed all things tended to the <HI>Center;</HI> now,
<PB N="181" REF="91">
as unmindeful of what they had formerly e&s;tabli&s;hed,
&s;eem onely to de&s;tine &s;ome bodies particularly to the
<HI>medium,</HI> &s;uch as the <HI>Earth</HI> and <HI>Water:</HI> which (<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">ith our
<HI>Poet</HI>) is utterly fal&s;e, &s;ince it is notorious, that even
the mo&s;t ponderous bodies a&s;cend al&s;o. This he infers
from the production of <HI>Animals</HI> and <HI>Plants</HI> which both
ari&s;e out of, and are nouri&s;hed by the <HI>Earth;</HI> that is, by
the a&s;cention thereof in juice and other materials
whereby they are fed and propagated; nay, the trees
&s;eem to be even thru&s;t out from beneath it; piercing
as it were the &s;urface thereof with their circular or
<HI>boaring</HI> motion, whereas <HI>they</HI> (whom here he contends
withal) affirm onely the more light (&s;uch as Ayr and
Fire) to mount upwards and mini&s;ter nouri&s;hment to
the <HI>Planets:</HI> and &s;o <HI>per con&s;equens,</HI> move from the <HI>me|dium,</HI>
contrary to what they before a&s;&s;erted. And if
this be not the interpretation of this difficult place, I
&s;hall leave it to the more penetrant judgements, and &s;a|tisfie
my &s;elf with what a learned <HI>Author</HI> hath &s;aid
thereon (who yet hath not adventured upon this expo|&s;ition)
<HI>Omnino hic locus e&s;t aliquantum difficilis, atque ob|&s;curus</HI>
(together with the re&s;t which follows, for even
the Critical <HI>Lambinus</HI> is forced to confe&s;s it) <HI>Totus hic
locus qui deinceps &s;equitur, mi&s;erabilem in modum perturba|tus
&amp; confu&s;us erat, ex qua ordinis perturbatione, ita ob|&s;curus
erat, ut nulla ex ea probabilis &s;ententia elici po&s;&s;et,
&amp;c.</HI> which makes him (though to &s;mall purpo&s;e) re|peat,</P>
<LG>
<L>Quin, &s;ua quod natura petit, concedere pergat.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>But, as its nature is, mu&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">till give place:</L>
</LG>
<P>Which ver&s;e he u&s;ed once before, &s;peaking of the <HI>Center;</HI>
and <HI>Johann<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">s Nardius</HI> to in&s;ert,</P>
<LG>
<L>Terra det at &s;upra circumtegere omnia Coelum:</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>Ne Volucrum ritu, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>But <HI>Pareus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">will have it joyned to the antecedent
Ver&s;es,</P>
<LG>
<L>Illud i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> his rebus long&egrave; fuge credere, Memmi, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P><PB N="182" REF="92">
As we have already explained it, which makes him
to exclaim al&s;o on this pa&s;&s;age as an <HI>ingens</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">.
But I conclude,</P>
<LG>
<L>Ne volucrum ritu flammarum, moenia mundi</L>
<L>Diffugiant &s;ubit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> magnum per Inane &s;oluta,</L>
<L>Et ne cetera con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">imili ratione &s;equantur:</L>
<L>N&eacute;ve ruant Coeli tonitralia templa &s;upurn&egrave;,</L>
<L>Terr&aacute;que &s;e pedibus raptim &s;ubducat, &amp; omnes</L>
<L>Inter permixtas rerum, coelique ruinas</L>
<L>Corpora &s;olventes, abeant per inane profundum &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>For el&s;e like ha&s;ty flames already fled</L>
<L>The worlds bright walls would vani&s;h &s;uddenly</L>
<L>Through the va&s;t <HI>void</HI> di&s;&s;olv'd, the re&s;t would be</L>
<L>After the &s;ame &s;ort hurried; that from high</L>
<L>Would drop the thundring turrets of the skie,</L>
<L>And under-foot the &s;inking <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">arth to bend,</L>
<L>Whil&s;t the &s;ame ruine earth with heaven would blend,</L>
<L>Cru&s;hing all bodies with di&s;ordered force</L>
<L>Through the profound aby&s;s to &s;teer their cour&s;e,</L>
<L>So that one moment would no relique leave,</L>
<L>Save Elements which no eye could perceive,</L>
<L>And de&s;ert &s;pace; for from what part &s;o e're</L>
<L>You would that bodies fir&s;t receding were,</L>
<L>That part an open &s;luce of death mu&s;t prove</L>
<L>Where matter i&s;&s;uing forth would downwards move.</L>
</LG>
<P>Deriding the opinions and <HI>Panick</HI> fears of the <HI>Stoicks,</HI>
who whil&s;t they ob&s;tinately maintained their <HI>medium</HI>
and <HI>extream,</HI> without infinite &s;pace, were compelled
to acknowledge an ab&s;olute ruine, and total di&s;&s;ipation
of this goodly fabrick, unle&s;s the limits thereof had
been exceedingly fortified, and &s;trongly hooped about:
for they taught that it hung <HI>ponderibus librata &s;uis,</HI> by a
<HI>magnetical</HI> vigour <HI>impre&s;&s;ed</HI> upon the intire <HI>machine</HI> at
the fir&s;t by the <HI>Almighty;</HI> but principally communi|cated
from the <HI>Center</HI> to both the <HI>Extreams,</HI> and that
by <HI>meridional projection,</HI> through which combination and
conjunction of parts, as by hoops the whole <HI>&V;niver&s;e</HI>
was &s;tedfa&s;tly compacted, &s;o as it could not be moved,
lea&s;t otherwi&s;e, like a broken <HI>hour-gla&s;s,</HI> or leaking
<PB N="183" REF="92">
Ve&s;&s;el, all &s;hould i&s;&s;ue out, &s;ink, and be di&s;&s;ipated
through its many cra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ic chinks and overtures, and &s;o all
things re&s;olve into their fir&s;t Principles,</P>
<LG>
<L>&mdash;Sic cum compage &s;oluta</L>
<L>Secula tot mundi &s;uprema coegerit hora,</L>
<L>Antiquum repetens iterum Chaos, omnia mi&s;tis</L>
<L>Sidera <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ideribus concurrent; ignea pontum</L>
<L>Astra petent: tellus extendere littora nolet,</L>
<L>Excutiet&abque; fretum: fratri contraria Phoebe</L>
<L>Ibit, &amp; obliquum bigas agitare per orbem</L>
<L>Indignata, diem po&s;cet &s;ibi: tot&aacute;que di&s;cors</L>
<L>Machina divul&s;i turbabit faedera mundi, &amp;c.</L>
</LG>
<P>As <HI>Lucan</HI> expre&s;&s;es it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phar&s;&punc; l. 1. May.</NOTE> and his Interpreter thus,</P>
<LG>
<L>So when this knot of Nature is di&s;&s;olv'd,</L>
<L>And the worlds ages in one hour involv'd</L>
<L>In their old <HI>Chaos,</HI> &s;eas with skies &s;hall joyn,</L>
<L>And &s;tars with &s;tars confounded lo&s;e their &s;hine;</L>
<L>The Earth no longer &s;hall extend its &s;hore</L>
<L>To keep the Ocean out: The Moon no more</L>
<L>Follow the Sun; but &s;corning her old way</L>
<L>Cro&s;s him, and claim the guidance of the day:</L>
<L>The falling Worlds now jarring frame no peace</L>
<L>No league &s;hall hold, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
</LG>
<P>And nothing remain but the va&s;t and de&s;ert <HI>Vacuum,</HI>
&s;ome reliques, Atomes and broken pieces which by &s;ome
happy chance might one day be ca&s;t again into another
mould, perhaps different in &s;hape from what we now
behold it, according as the materials of the fragments
fortuned to light. <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> indeed and <HI>Averroes, Cicero,</HI>
and <HI>Xenophanes</HI> affirmed the world to be <HI>eternal,</HI> and
no way obnoxious to this <HI>cata&s;trophe:</HI> for &s;eeing (as
<HI>Cen&s;orinus</HI> hath it) they could not comprehend whether
were fir&s;t, the <HI>Bird,</HI> or the <HI>Egg;</HI> &s;o neither could they in|ve&s;tigate
that the <HI>World</HI> had any commencement, or
&s;hould have conclu&s;ion. But <HI>Pythagoras</HI> and the <HI>Sto|icks</HI>
held it corruptible: with the&s;e accord <HI>Thales, Hi|erocles,
Anaximenes, Avicen</HI> and <HI>Philo the Jew;</HI> but <HI>Plato</HI>
will not have it finite, but of the nature of the <HI>God</HI>
<PB N="184" REF="93">
that made it; and <HI>Democritus</HI> &s;aid it &s;hould be once de|&s;troyed,
and never more repaired. <HI>Empedocles</HI> and
<HI>Heraclitus</HI> taught that the world was continually re|pairing
and decaying together. But our <HI>Epicurus</HI> that
it &s;hould and might be eternally <HI>recreated,</HI> that it was
to have a period and be infallibly di&s;&s;olved; onely, he
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ailed about the <HI>Agent,</HI> as conceiving it to proceed
meerly from &s;ome natural force, which therefore ren|dered
it corruptible and &s;ubject to dilapidation; name|ly,
in as much as it had no other production then that
of a <HI>Plant</HI> or <HI>Animal.</HI> Al&s;o from internal and inte&s;tine
cau&s;es, the intermi&s;tion of Vacuum, the perpetual re|percu&s;&s;ions
and di&s;ce&s;&s;ions of <HI>Atomes,</HI> &amp;c. That there|fore
the <HI>World</HI> did al&s;o man-like <HI>Sene&s;cere,</HI> as it had to|gether
with him its <HI>Adole&s;cency</HI> and <HI>Virile</HI> vigour, as
appears in the following, and our <HI>Poet</HI> once be|fore,</P>
<L>Nam veluti privata cibo, &amp;c.&mdash;</L>
<P>Which opinion however peremptorily affirmed as well
by <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> as <HI>Heathens,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">St. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">pr. &amp; alii.</NOTE> how fal&s;e and erronious it
will appear to a ju&s;t and &s;ober di&s;qui&s;ition, I refer the
<HI>Reader</HI> to the learned <HI>Apologi&s;t</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Natural
decay.</HI></P>
<LG>
<L>Haec &s;i per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">o&s;ces parva perductus opella;</L>
<L>(Nam&abque; alid ex alio clare&s;cit) non tibi caeca</L>
<L>Nox iter eripiet, quin ultima materiai</L>
<L>Pervideas; Ita res accendunt Lumina rebus.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>If then by this &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ight work thou knowledge gain</L>
<L>(For one thing will the other much explain)</L>
<L>Thou can'&s;t not erre, but &s;halt perceive aright</L>
<L>Natures extreams: &s;o Things to Things give light:</L>
</LG>
<P>The&s;e few particulars thus briefly delivered, well
under&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">, and ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ctly compared; our <HI>Poet</HI> a&s;&s;ures
his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> friend <HI>Memmius</HI> will &s;oon render him a
<PB N="185" REF="93">
perfect Ma&s;ter in the knowledge of all <HI>Natural ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="4 letters"></HI>
what&s;oever, in which <HI>Lucretius,</HI> as a &s;worn <HI>Epicur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">m,</HI>
bel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">eved to con&s;i&s;t the <HI>Summum Bonum</HI> of <HI>mankinde,</HI>
and mo&s;t tran&s;cendent felicity.</P>
<LG>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">,</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
</LG>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="endnote">
<PB REF="94">
<P>JU&s;t as I was now concluding this Di&s;|cour&s;e,
I received the following <HI>Epitaph</HI>
from a worthy and learned <HI>Friend</HI> out
of <HI>France:</HI> It is the <HI>In&s;cription</HI> upon the
<HI>Monument</HI> of the admirable <HI>Ga&s;&s;endus,</HI> who
for being &s;o great an A&s;&s;ertor of <HI>Epicurus</HI>'s
<HI>In&s;titution,</HI> the <HI>Doctrine</HI> delivered by our
<HI>Carus,</HI> and a per&s;on of &s;uch excellent
<HI>erudition,</HI> de&s;erves highly to be remem|bred
by Po&s;terity.</P>
<P>The <HI>Epigraph</HI> is as follows:</P>
<Q><PB REF="94">
<P>HIC JACET
Non unus &egrave; &s;eptem Sapientibus,</P>
<P>Verum
Tota Sapientum Familia
<HI>Philo&s;ophi omnes, Politici, Philologi, Mathematici, Theologi,</HI>
Eodem Tumulo teguntur:
Academiae veteris &amp; novae, Lycaei, Stoae, Hortorum
Rudera, Ve&s;tigia,</P>
<P>E Quibus
Jam jam reparanda, et mult&ograve; Splendidius re&s;tauranda
Edita doctrin&acirc; Sapientum Templa Serena.</P>
<P>Ubi
<HI>Veluti totidem Oracula,
Si&s;tendi erant Redivivi &amp; Audiendi</HI>
Thales, Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Democritus,
Socrates, Plato, Ari&s;toteles, Zeno,
Epicurus, <HI>Lucretius,</HI> Cicero,
Seneca, Plutarchus,
Sextus.</P>
<P>Et quotquot huisu&s;cemodi Heroum
Ad no&s;tra u&s;que tempora ex&s;titere&punc;
<PB REF="95">
HIC JACENT
Cum Mu&s;is, Pallade, &amp; Apolline,
Pudor, &amp; Ju&s;titiae Soror Incorrupta Fides,
Nudaque Veritas.</P>
<P>Quae Univer&s;a
Magnum PETRI GASSENDI Nomen
Complectitur.
Tu Viator Erudite,
Luge Sortem Generis Humani,
Cui Mors invida eripuit
Fidi&s;&s;imum, Diligenti&s;&s;imum Naturae Interpretem,
Virtutis, Solidae Pietatis, Bonae mentis
Cultorem, Vindicem, Propagatorem
Integerrimum, Acerrimum, Felici&s;&s;imum.</P>
<P>Vixit
Sine querela, &s;orte u&s;a contentus,
Interioris notae Amicis Jucundi&s;&s;imus,
Viris imperio, auctoritate, doctrin&acirc;, &s;apientiae pre&s;tanti&s;&s;imis
Accepti&s;&s;imus, Chari&s;&s;imus,
Non apud Exteros &s;ol&ugrave;m,
Sed &amp; in Patri&acirc; &s;ua,
Amorem, Venerationem
Meritus, con&s;equutus,
Annos LXIII. Mens. IX. Dies XIII.
Aeternum &s;ui de&s;iderium relinquens
Lutetiae Pari&s;iorum
A. d. IX. KAL. Nov. MDClv.
A. P. T. M. S. S. F. B.
Amico Veteri, Praeceptori bene merito,
Grati animi Monumentum</P></Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="95">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>IT was not without ju&s;t occa&s;ion that we finde the great <HI>Lip|&s;ius</HI>
deploring the negligence of <HI>Printers,</HI> to have thus
complain'd of the Art,<NOTE PLACE="marg">In. praef. ad Lect. l. Antiq. lect.</NOTE> <HI>Bona &s;an&egrave; &s;tudiorum nutrix, &s;ed
audax, lucri-cupida, calida, &amp; quae non minus ver&egrave;</HI> cor|ruptrix
<HI>librorum audiet, qu&agrave;m propagatrix.</HI> A cen&s;ure
(if ever) mo&s;t applicable and de&s;erved here, and for which
(the Author being ab&s;ent the whole time that this <HI>Piece</HI> was in
the pre&s;s) there now remains no other expedient, but to de&s;ire
the favorable <HI>Reader</HI> to reform the&s;e <HI>Errata</HI> &s;ubjoyn'd, before
he pa&s;s any farther.</P>
<P>IN the Preface <HI>&s;par&s;im,</HI> read <HI>Chelys,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ringed, curious, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
by no means Impropriate, de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">bauched, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P><HI>Page</HI> 1. l. 6. <HI>read</HI> Cataract, <HI>ibid.</HI> 19. Securely, 31. de|light.
<HI>p. 2. l. 17. Elixir, p.</HI> 4. <HI>l.</HI> 5. glory, <HI>p. 5 l.</HI> 3, <HI>nutritus, ib.</HI>
16. miror, 22. <HI>nec. p.</HI> 7<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>l.</HI> 19 indued. <HI>p.</HI> 8. l. 10. <HI>for</HI> linea|ments,
<HI>r.</HI> Hairine&s;s. <HI>l.</HI> 14. <HI>for Pulchra</HI> r. <HI>magna, p. 9. l.</HI> 2. &s;mooth,
<HI>p.</HI> 10. <HI>l.</HI> 29. cloath. <HI>p. 15. l.</HI> 22. fierce. <HI>p. 27. l.</HI> 11. Be&s;ides
tho&s;e things remov'd by ages pa&s;t. <HI>l.</HI> 31 The various bonds
of cau&s;es, &amp;c. <HI>p. 25. l.</HI> 19. all men. <HI>l.</HI> 20. they&punc; 21. their hands,
<HI>p.</HI> 37. <HI>l.</HI> 27. brings <HI>dele</HI> (,) <HI>p. 39. l.</HI> 31. &s;tones, <HI>p. 43. l.</HI> 34. a|gain
<HI>dele</HI> (.) <HI>p</HI> 45. <HI>l.</HI> 36. blows, <HI>p.</HI> 46. <HI>l.</HI> 21. At, <HI>p.</HI> 51. <HI>l.</HI> 13.
Light, <HI>p.</HI> 56. <HI>l.</HI> 10. <HI>tripode, p.</HI> 59. <HI>l.</HI> 3. them, 18. made. 34. If
<HI>fire</HI> they make, <HI>p.</HI> 60. <HI>l&punc;</HI> 26. <HI>Ver&s;us, p.</HI> 61. <HI>l.</HI> 18. Whence. <HI>p.</HI> 62.
<HI>l.</HI> 33. <HI>aridus, p.</HI> 60. <HI>l.</HI> 31. &s;ince <HI>dele</HI> (,) <HI>p.</HI> 68. <HI>l.</HI> 15. <HI>mu&s;eo, p.</HI>
10<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>l&punc;</HI> 41. <HI>Cicero's, p.</HI> 104. <HI>l&punc;</HI> 4. <HI>privata, p.</HI> 106. <HI>l.</HI> 20. <HI>dicam,</HI> 109,
12, <HI>omneis,</HI> 33. <GAP DESC="foreign">, 110. 41. Efforts, 111. 21. <HI>Aram,</HI>
112&punc; 12. <HI>Phocoen&s;es,</HI> 19. <HI>Clemens,</HI> dele (,) 114. 2. de&s;pi&s;e,
115. 16. <HI>automate,</HI> 117. 18. <HI>eadem,</HI> 21 <GAP DESC="foreign">, 32. <HI>didicerunt,</HI> 36.
<HI>vera,</HI> 119. 16. <HI>hac,</HI> 38. &s;tudy of. 120&punc; 9 <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>ibid.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
14. <GAP DESC="foreign">, 121. dele <HI>Fierent,</HI> 124. 19. <HI>igneus,</HI> 127. 31.
transfretation, 129. 28. <HI>Epig.</HI> 131. 4. <HI>Lapideous,</HI> 141. 1. <HI>mo|ment,</HI>
146. 10. arrived, 149&punc; 24. <HI>coetu,</HI> 151. 7. broacht it, 152.
20. de&s;cent. <HI>ibid.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, 154. 13. train, 155. 4. <HI>auras,</HI> dele (:)
158. 16. <HI>verbis,</HI> dele (,) 159. 26. <HI>coorto,</HI> 38. and freed, 161.
17. <HI>dele</HI> The Pores, <HI>ib,</HI> 39&punc; he ingenuou&s;ly, 162 34 <GAP DESC="foreign">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">68.
2. man&s;ions. 173. 39. indulge. With frequent literal e&s;capes
and mi&s;inter punctations le&s;s material.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<PB REF="96">
<HEAD>The&s;e Books are printed for, and &s;old by Ga:
Bedell and Tho: Collins, 1656. viz:</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Books in Folio.</HEAD>
<P>THe <HI>Compleat Amba&s;&s;ador,</HI> by Sir <HI>Dudly Diggs,</HI> contain|ing
the Letters and Negotiations of Sir <HI>Francis Wal|&s;ingham,</HI>
the Lord <HI>Burleigh,</HI> and other Eminent Per&s;ons:
being a perfect Series of the mo&s;t remarkable Pa&s;&s;ages
of State, both at home and abroad, in the Reign of Queen
<HI>Elizabeth</HI> of ble&s;&s;ed memory.</P>
<P><HI>The Hi&s;tory of the Civil Wars of France,</HI> Written in Italian
by <HI>D' Avila,</HI> Tran&s;lated into Engli&s;h by Sir <HI>Charles
Cot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">erel,</HI> and <HI>William Aylesbury</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> the whole fifteen
Books.</P>
<P><HI>The Hi&s;tory of the Reign of King Henry VII.</HI> Written by
the Right Honourable <HI>Francis</HI> Lord <HI>Verulam</HI> Vi&s;count
S. <HI>Alban;</HI> un to which is annexed a very u&s;efull Table.</P>
<P><HI>Of Government and Obedience,</HI> as they &s;tand directed and
determined by Scripture and Rea&s;on, four Books, by
<HI>John Hall</HI> of <HI>Richmond</HI> Gent.</P>
<P><HI>Daltons Countrey Ju&s;tice,</HI> Corrected and enlarged by the
Authors own hand before his death; unto which is
Annexed an Appendix or Abridgement of all the late
Acts and Ordinances that relate to the Office of a Ju|&s;tice
of Peace, to the year, 1655. by a Barre&s;ter learn|ed
in the Laws.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Books in Quarto.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Mi&s;cellanea Spiritualia,</HI> fir&s;t and &s;econd part, written by
the Honorable <HI>Walter Montague</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></P>
<P><HI>The Chri&s;tian Man,</HI> or the Reparation of Nature by Grace,
written in French by that Elegant and Pious Author,
<HI>John Francis Sennault,</HI> Engli&s;hed by <HI>H. G.</HI> &s;ometimes
Student of Chri&s;ts Church in <HI>Oxford.</HI></P>
<P>The Raging Turk, <HI>or</HI> Bajazet
<HI>the II.</HI></P>
<P>The Couragious Turk, <HI>or</HI> A|murath
the <HI>I.</HI></P>
<P>The Tragedy of <HI>Ore&s;tes,</HI>
Written by <HI>Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">mas Goffe,</HI>
Ma&s;ter of Arts, and Stu|dent
of Chri&s;ts Church
<HI>Oxford,</HI> newly reprinted,
in <HI>octavo.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Books in Octavo.</HEAD>
<P>The <HI>Triumphant Lady,</HI> or, <HI>the Crowned Innocence:</HI> A
choice and authentick Piece of the famous <HI>de Ceriziers,</HI>
Almoner to the King of <HI>France:</HI> newly made Engli&s;h
by a per&s;on of quality, and newly printed.</P>
<P><PB REF="96">
<HI>An E&s;&s;ay</HI> upon the fir&s;t Book of <HI>T. Lucretius Carus, De
Rerum Natura:</HI> Interpreted and made Engli&s;h Ver&s;e,
by <HI>John Evelyn</HI> E&s;quire; Illu&s;trated with Hi&s;torical
Annotations. Newly printed.</P>
<P><HI>Ob&s;ervations touching Foreign Amba&s;&s;adors,</HI> written by Sir
<HI>John Finnet,</HI> Ma&s;ter of the Ceremonies to King <HI>James</HI>
and King <HI>Charls:</HI> Publi&s;hed by <HI>James Howel</HI> E&s;quire.
In Copart<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">er&s;hip with <HI>H. T.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Books in 12<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> and 24<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Steps of A&s;cen&s;ion to God,</HI> or a Ladder to Heaven, con|taining
Prayers and Meditations for every day of the
week, and all other occa&s;ions, by <HI>Eward Gee,</HI> Doctor
in Divinity. Now the ninth time reprinted.</P>
<P><HI>The Accompli&s;h'd Woman,</HI> written by the Right Honor|able
<HI>Walter Montague</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></P>
<P><HI>Three accurate Sermons:</HI> The fir&s;t, of <HI>Scandal:</HI> The Se|cond,
on <HI>Ea&s;ter-day:</HI> The Third, a <HI>Funeral Sermon,</HI>
preached by the Reverend and Learned Doctor <HI>Ri|chard
Stuart,</HI> Dean of St. <HI>Pauls London,</HI> and Clark of
the Clo&s;et to the late King <HI>Charls:</HI> Whereunto is
added an claborate Sermon of <HI>&V;niver&s;al Grace,</HI> preach|ed
by the Right Reverend Father in God <HI>Samuel
Har&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">net</HI> Lord Archbi&s;hop of <HI>York.</HI> Newly printed.</P>
<P><HI>The Court-keepers Guide,</HI> a plain and familiar Treati&s;e, for
the help of tho&s;e imployed in keeping Law-days, and
Court Barons, wherein is largely opened, the juri&s;|dictions
and learnings of the Court-Mannors, Copy|holds,
Rents, Harriots, &amp;c. to the great profit of Lords
of Mannors, and owners of the&s;e Courts, by <HI>William
Sheppard</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> a piece generally u&s;eful, and very much
approved of, and now the fourth time printed.</P>
<P>Ob&s;ervations upon &s;ome particular Per&s;ons and Pa&s;&s;ages,
in a Book lately made publike; i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ituled, A <HI>compleat
History of the Lives and Reigns of</HI> Mary <HI>Queen of</HI> Scot|land,
<HI>and of her Son</HI> James, <HI>the &s;ixth of</HI> Scotland, <HI>and
the fir&s;t of</HI> England, <HI>France</HI> and <HI>Ireland&punc;</HI></P>
<P><HI>An Epitome</HI> of all the Common and Statute Laws of
this Nation, now in force. Wherein more then Fifteen
hundred of the harde&s;t Words or Terms of the Law
are explained; and all the mo&s;t u&s;eful and profitable
Heads or Ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">es of the Law by way of <HI>Common place,</HI>
largely, plainly and methodically handled. With an
Alphabetical Table. By <HI>William Sheppard</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Pub|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;hed
by His Highne&s;s permi&s;&s;ion. In Co-partner&s;hip
with others.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
