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DUKE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Treasure "Room 
 
A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 OF 
 TRANSMIGRATION^ 
 
 In Defence of 
 
 fprrHAGO%AS. 
 
V-EUtn-jculf 
 
 Pythagoil\s 
 
A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 OF 
 TRANSMIGRATION, 
 
 In Defence of 
 
 TYTHAGORAS: 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
 O F 
 
 Natural philosophy- 
 
 Principio Coelum & Terras^ Ca?nfofq\ liquemes, 
 Lticentemq'^ Glohnm Luna^ 7uamaq'^ Uftra^ 
 SpiritHsintHsalit'^ totamf^ infufafer art/is 
 Mens agitat molem^ & magno fe oorfore mfcet, 
 
 Virg. 
 Natiira naturans naturat omnia. 
 
 LONDON^ 
 
 Printed by E. II. for Ct)0. ©Bflfet, 
 
 at the George in Fleet-fiteet^ 1692. 
 

 THE 
 
 Epiflle Dedicatory. 
 
 To Mr. LEY. 
 
 TWas you , my Dear 
 Friend, with whom 
 I firft enjoyed the Pleafuresof 
 Friendfliip , and 'twas you 
 that firft invited me 5 though 
 not into the Garden of the 
 Hefperides^ yet into a Field of 
 great Ufefulnefs, and infinite 
 Delight •, where , after the 
 A 2 Fft- 
 
The Epiftle Dedicatory. 
 
 Fatigue and Embarrafment 
 of a troiiblefome Employ- 
 ment, like the wearied Tra- 
 veller, I have often at Night 
 lain down, and refreflied my 
 tired Spirits. If 1 have there* 
 fore nodded in the following 
 Pamphlet, be you my Wit- 
 nels and Excufe. 
 
 But whatever it is, to you, 
 T>ear S/V, of right it belongs, 
 being that good Friend, that 
 firft fliewed me my Faults, 
 and moved me to a Study , 
 which has given me a true 
 Profped of the Trifles of 
 Life , and how much more 
 valuable the Unleen Things 
 are, than thofe our Sen fes 
 daily converfe with. For, 
 
 As 
 
Tl?e Epoftle Dedicatory. 
 
 — :!- 
 
 As the kind HeaVenlj Qenins 
 when we go 
 I Out of that Tath appointed us 
 
 below ; 
 1^ Mov d with great Pity tour 
 declining State, 
 Do's foftly whilper, Turn j ere 
 'tis too late : 
 
 So my Leander^ when I went 
 
 aftray 
 From the unbeaten Path of Ver- 
 
 tues Way, 
 Swifter than Lighcning dart^ 
 
 ing from a Cloud, 
 Stretch'd forth his hand. 
 
 But I forget I am in pub- 
 lick, and that this is not my 
 Province. 
 
 A 4 This 
 
.77;^ Eftftle Dedicatory. 
 
 This fliew^ that the Body 
 is too grofs to enjoy a refin'4 
 Pleafure , and that the AfFe^* 
 (ftions of a man given to the 
 Delights of Contemplation 
 and Search, are too lofty to be 
 allur'd down to fenfual En- 
 joyments. ^quiU non capit 
 SMufccvs. Des Cartes expreffes 
 it well : Volupta^s quam perdpi- 
 mm ex Intuitu rerum^ quas oculi 
 cernuHt^ minime ^quiparanda efl 
 cum illa^ quam adfert notitia iUa» 
 rum quas Tbilofophando inVenimus. 
 ^ The Pleafures of Senfe, are 
 *in no fort comparable to 
 * thofe , which the Mind ea- 
 ^joys by Knowledge and 
 ^ Philofophy. So that Philo- 
 fpphy and Religion ^ or the 
 latter alone, have truly the 
 better on t in this Life^ as well 
 
The Epiftle Dedicatory. 
 
 as the next. God bids fairer 
 for our Service^than all things 
 elfe befides. 
 
 But to do Juftice to both ; 
 I muft acknowledge the Sen- 
 fualtft has Pleafures and Di^ 
 verfions ( fuch as they are) 
 more ready and at hand, than 
 a man ol: Thought and Re^ 
 tirement. The one had need 
 but look out , and he lees 
 fomething chat is ready to fill 
 up the narrow Faculties of 
 Senfe prefently, whilft the o-^ 
 ther muil: go farther off, and 
 with great induftry find out 
 an Object that is noble e- 
 nouoh to divert and entertain 
 him. The Pleafures of the 
 one, are like Diamonds, rare- 
 ly to be found j but of the 
 
 other. 
 
The Epijlle Dedicatory. 
 
 ochcr^likePebbleSjevery where 
 to be had. Yet this Advan- 
 tage the Learned and the 
 Wi(e , the vertuous Philofo- 
 pher, when advanced to fome 
 Height, has over the other, 
 that he carries his Pleafures 
 with him, in the Streets, or in 
 the Fields,or even in difagree- 
 able Company, can find ufe* 
 ful and pleafing Thoughts, 
 both to delight and improve 
 his Mind ; who not only dares 
 be alone , but finds infinite 
 Pleafure in the Contemplation of 
 the fevcral parts of thd Uni- 
 yerfe ; to whom, with Jacob^ 
 the iVorld is a bethel ; for he 
 can turn the Darknefs of a ©!*«• 
 geoHy into the Light o 2l D't^ 
 Vine Talace^ and behold N^- 
 ture ascending and defcending^ 
 
 like 
 
The Eptfile Dedicatory. 
 
 like the Jngels on the Ladder. 
 But not to pretermit any of 
 the excellent Advantages the 
 Diflblute enjoy. 
 
 The one , I nnufl: confefs , 
 rnore conftantly gains his 
 Point , than the other j for 
 what with his fordid Flattery, 
 and Bafencfs of Spirit to- 
 wards the Great and Haugh- 
 ty, his Infolence towards the 
 Modeft and Humble, and o- 
 ther mean and dillngenuous 
 Arts towards all, he obtains 
 what he defires. But did a 
 Beggar gain a Crown by fuch 
 means , he were not \yorth 
 my Envy ; for when a little 
 Aflfliftion befalls fuch an one, 
 folooleis his Conftitutiou,by 
 the unfetlednefsofhis Princi- 
 ples, 
 
The E^lftle Dedicatory. 
 
 pies, ( if a conftant Byas to 
 Bafenefs of Spirit may be cal=» 
 led unfetled , ) he diflblves 
 under the weight of a little 
 misfortune ; a few Weeks im- 
 prifonment puts an end to his 
 Life : But how does the Ver- 
 tuous fit fmooth and fedate, 
 whilft Lightning invades his 
 Eyes^and Thunder his Houfe i 
 Who though he would dif- 
 folve in Tears, for the leaft 
 voluntary Sin, yet would not 
 ftrink to fee the World in a 
 general Conflagration ; who 
 goes out of this Life with the 
 fame Joy a man goes to fee 
 his affedlionate Friend* Give 
 me the man , who having 
 fecur'd the Divine Love by 
 an univerfal Obedience, car- 
 ries his own Heaven witK 
 
 him 
 
The Epiftle Vedkatory. 
 
 him where-evcrhe goes jthat 
 can fee in every Field enough 
 of the Divine Wifdoni to fill 
 all the Powers of his Soul 
 with a lafting Joy and Plea^ 
 fure. Compared to thefe, 
 how mean are the Thoughts 
 of a laft Night's Debauch , 
 or the expecting ones of ano- 
 ther ? How fordid the Con- 
 templation of many Bags , 
 and how empty the Titles of 
 Honour ? For my part , I 
 have not Sence enough to di- 
 ftinguifli any real difference 
 between a Feather in a Child's 
 Cap, and a Riband crofs the 
 Shoulders of a Man. Ah ! 
 how foolifli is Mankind to 
 neglect the folid Joys of VViP- 
 dom and Philofophy, for the 
 Rattles and Trifles of Life ! 
 
 So 
 
The Epifile Dedicatory. 
 
 So that ( the next World a» 
 part) with great Truth I may 
 affirm,That the moft voluptu- 
 ous Man alive, enrich'd with 
 the Fancy of Jrijlippu^^ or a 
 Lord tiochefter , that does in- 
 dulge his Senfes with all the 
 Art that Wit , Health and 
 Riches can lay together, that 
 has all the Court which the 
 Devil in Nature, is capable 
 of making to him ; falls infi- 
 nitely (liort of the Pleafures 
 of a Man, that has a good 
 Underftanding, well governed 
 Affedtions, and but a mode* 
 rate Fortune to enable him 
 to enjoy the Plealiires of Phi- 
 lofophy, and to exert his Re- 
 ligion in the pleafing Offices 
 ot Charity and Affection. 
 
 Thf 
 
Tl?e Epijlle Dedicatory. 
 
 The Cynicks and Stokks will 
 
 charge me with a furplus of 
 
 Ingredients to the conftitution 
 
 of Happinefs ; but I conceive 
 
 their Notion of it to be Ro« 
 
 mantick and Fancifuljbut that 
 
 of the Peripatelkks and Epicti*^ 
 
 ream fbber and wife. For 
 
 Externals^ in the hands of a 
 
 wife man are good Inftru- 
 
 mentseven of Beatitude; and 
 
 Pleafure and Pain muft have 
 
 Ibme difference even in the 
 
 opinion of a Philofopher that 
 
 is converfant in the World. 
 
 'Tis a foolifli thing to make 
 
 Vertue the Obje6t of a wife 
 
 man s choice, and then fet it 
 
 above his reach, at leaft above (^) Thus 
 
 his defires ; Vertue {a) I mean, ^^fghtheCy- 
 
 ^ ^ ^ mcKs and 
 
 5wjc^/ advanced Vertue, whofefole Reward,which 
 it felf brought, they held fuiEcientto conquer the 
 Miferies of Pain and Want. 
 
 ftripp^d 
 
Tl:€ Epiflle Dedicatory. 
 
 ftrippd of Health and Necef- 
 faries, and clogg d with Pain 
 and Mifery, wichout the Pro* 
 fpedt of a future Life. But 
 the Qyn'ick indeed had Wit, 
 when being blam'd for giv- 
 ing a Pattern above Human 
 Life , faid , he was like the 
 Singing Mafters , who fung 
 a Note too high , that their 
 Scholars ( who would natu- 
 rally fall fhort of their Ma- 
 ftcr) might reach a true 
 Pitch. 
 
 I muft confefsjwhen I con- 
 fider the Lives, not only of 
 the Cp'tcks^ but others of the 
 Pagan fbiloJophers^2Lnd to what 
 a Noble Height they advan* 
 ced their Minds , meerly by 
 the due exercife of their Uii^ 
 derftandings ^ 
 
The Ep'ijlle Dedicatory. 
 
 derftandings ; how meanly 
 and contemptibly they look* 
 ed upon fenfual Pleafures, to 
 that degree, that the former 
 trampled upon Riches and 
 Honour as vile things ; An- 
 ttfihenes^ the Father of them, 
 faying, he had rather be mad, 
 than given to Senfuality ; 
 and Heraclitus contemnd his 
 Body, efteeming it as Drofs^ 
 taking care for the Cure on- 
 ly as God fliould command 
 him , to ufe ic as an Inftru- 
 ment ; and this not as a 
 fudden Fit or Paffion, or De- 
 clamation of Wit , but as a 
 fetled Principle rooted in 
 their minds, and exerting its 
 Fruit and Effects in their 
 Lives : 1 blufli both for my 
 felfj and other Chriftians, to 
 a think 
 
Tloe Epiftle Dedicatory. 
 
 think how impetuoufly we 
 purfue the things of this Life, 
 and how coldly thofe of a 
 better. 
 
 It may be enough to make 
 a Chriftian ailiam'd, even in 
 Heaven, to fee Hermes^ Py- 
 thagoras , Socrates , ^latOy and 
 the whole Crowd of vertu- 
 oLis Heathens there, bearing 
 the Honourable Badges of 
 Mortification , and the No'* 
 ble Scars of Reproach , and 
 Wounds, for Vertue's fake, as 
 a Sacrifice pleafing to God ; 
 whilft the Chriflian, at a di- 
 ftance , beholding in himfelf 
 the Marks only of Profeffing 
 his Religion , where there 
 was no danger in the doing 
 % and having received much^ 
 
 gave 
 
The Epijile 'Dedicatory, 
 
 gave a licde, and lov'd wich 
 Sincerity ; and yet how few 
 are there reach this Pitch ? 
 What Chriftian is there from 
 the Debauchee to the Profef- 
 for , that conquers a Lull , 
 lubdaes a Paffion, or refills a 
 charming Temptation Chrifti 
 gratia ? if the Lafcivious 
 grows chaile, 'tis not becaule 
 his mind is changed, but his 
 Spirits are weak, and his 
 Blood low : But how did 
 Socrates^ of fierce and chole* 
 rick, become calm and fedate 
 by Philofophy ? And can 
 ^hilofophy do tiiore than Chri- 
 Hiamty ? 
 
 I But why do I fay this to you, 
 
 my Dear Friend, who know 
 
 all this , and your own Me- 
 
 a t rirs 
 
The Epifile 'Dedicatory. 
 
 rits too ( or you would want 
 Judgment ) and are yet con- 
 rented in a low Spherejgrate^* 
 ful to the Almighty under a 
 narrow Fortune; whilftyou 
 fee others, that fet no Bounds 
 to their Aci^ions^ wich a mean 
 "Underftanding acquire Riches 
 and Honour. 1 know it is 
 eafie for the Rich to fpeak 
 fine th.ings of a low ftate ; 
 what Phvfick it is to the 
 mind, and how it reduces 
 the Fever in the Soul, to a 
 good Tem.per. But for a 
 man that is generous in his 
 Nature ( which TLto tells us, 
 is the beft kind of Nobility ) 
 and who would embellifli his 
 inind with all the Uleful 
 Knowledge and Learning, 
 that can be had, to be flop- 
 ped 
 
Tl?e Epiftle Dedicatory 
 
 ped in this commendable /im^ 
 bition, againd the Career of 
 his Defires, and to acqiiielce, 
 P requires the Philolophy of an 
 humble mind, which is often 
 a ftranger to the Learned. 
 This is more difficult than to 
 conquer Kingdoms. 
 
 Foitior e[i qui fe- 
 
 You are therefore the trur 
 ly great Hero I have chofe to 
 defend this Ejjay, which ( tho' 
 it has been disbelieved by all, 
 becaufe not conlidered by the 
 learned 5nor underftood by the 
 Vulgar ) you will do, neither 
 by the dazling fplendor of a 
 bright Star and Garter, nor 
 the clafhing and thundering 
 Noife of Swords and Guns, 
 a ^ nor 
 
The Bpiftle Dedicatory, 
 
 nor by your ten Thoufands, 
 but by the foft Voice of Rea- 
 fon and Philofophy , which 
 is more valuable to the Wiie 
 and Vertuous. 
 
 Adietiy Dear Sir, and may 
 yon enjoy a calm and ferene 
 Mind y flat and languifliing 
 towards the World^but active 
 and vigorous, and full of 
 Hopes cowards Heaven. May 
 the Light of Wifdom and 
 Knowledge fill you full of 
 all Joy and Ecftafie ; and as 
 no VaYiat'wn of Fortune, has, 
 or ever ITjall alienate my jf- 
 feclions from you ; \o let fno 
 Difappointment abate your 
 Zeal for the Honour of our 
 moll: Munificent Benefador, 
 ( for whom you can never do 
 
 too 
 
The Epifile Dedicatory. 
 
 too much, ) fince He always 
 chufeth beft for us , and ne- 
 ver denies us , but for our 
 greater Good. I am (what 
 Words need not exprefs ) 
 
 Your Affe<5lionate 
 Servant, 
 
 Mitehcke ^tdjlrode. 
 
 a 4 THE 
 

 THE 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 TO THE 
 
 READER- 
 
 I Writ this Eflay for my ol^n 
 SatUfatTwn and life , and 
 now ^uhlif? it to Vtndi^ 
 cate the Honour of Pythagoras, 
 whom, though I would not^ ivlth 
 the Heathen^ Veifie for his emi- 
 nent Works ^ yet 1 l^ould defend 
 him from the Calumny of the 
 
 World, 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 World^ fo mjuftly caH uj^on hhn^ 
 ds the Author of an erromom 
 T>oSlrine. Tlois is a Trihute^ all 
 SMen that pretend to Letters {to 
 which I do the leajl) olt^e him^ 
 that h^ advanced Learning ; ejpc- 
 daily to Pychagoras, who feems 
 to have been a Treafury of K^iow- 
 ledge^ and that Fountain that loa^ 
 tered the Grecian Empire l^ith all 
 that Learning they aftert^Ards 
 boajled. ISior were his yi^iorals 
 lefs refind^ than his IQiof^ledge 
 was eminent^ and his Wifdom was 
 equal to both ; fo that flnuli I 
 give an Account of his Life^ fcoTb 
 careful he ti?as tofuhdue allfenfual 
 ^afflons ; hol^ temperate in his 
 Diet^ Cloaths and Skep ^ /;olb in- 
 defatigable to improve and adorn 
 his cMmd Tt^ith all the tQw^- 
 ledge that was to be attained j how 
 
 i^ahm 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 :^aloHS to promote the Honour of 
 Cjody and the (joocl of SMan j 
 holi? careful to reficEl on the Er- 
 rors of the T)ay ; and in fl?ort , 
 to advance all Vertue^ and deprej? 
 Vice 5 'ti};ould put mofl of us out 
 cf countenance J to be fo much out- 
 done by a Heathen. The Vm- 
 die at ion therefore of fo good and 
 great a Perjon^ I hope^ ipill not be 
 thought impertinent. 
 
 ^ut he fides that^ 1 profofe to 
 manifeft this Opinion^ not only as 
 Orthodox ^ Philofophical amongjl 
 the Ancients^ hut cvs True and £- 
 Vident in l>lctture. Though lt>ere 
 it only a fpeculative TSlotion^ and 
 of no Ufe^ as for me^ it fliould 
 have fie pt in eternal Shades ^ but 
 in regard it acquaints uSy in itsjull 
 Latitude^ with the Various Operas 
 
 tions 
 
To the Reaoer. 
 
 tions of Qod^ the feneration and 
 T>ilJolution of all Created beings ^ 
 under Hea^en^ l e. the Animal^ 
 Vegetable^ and JMineral^ the Ac- 
 cejfes and ^ce(fes of Life itfelf; 
 it is a SuhjeH not fo mean as to he 
 defpfed^ though it may he here 
 but indifferently handled. 
 
 Epicurus, who hcis defnd 
 Happinef? well ^ places it in the 
 Tranquillity of the S^iind^ and In- 
 doknce of the Sody. To attain 
 this^ he makes Phyficks ^tsne- 
 ceffary 06 EcMcks ; for without 
 knowing the Caufes of Things , 
 Fear and Doubts perplex the Mind^ 
 and dijlurh that Q^uiet ^vhich is 
 neceffary to Happinef?. 
 
 lam fur e it is the Duty pf all 
 Men^ that have Capacity and Op^^ 
 
 portunity^ 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 portunity^ to look into the Works, 
 ^ Ipcll as Word of God. 7'he 
 Heathens had no other ^ock to 
 read the Majefty^Wlfdom andPo'^- 
 crofQod in-yit -^r^ the Heavens 
 that declared to them^ as li?ell as 
 the tnfpired l^ng^ his Glory* 
 TSlor does the J^ioivledge of Gods 
 moral GoVern7nent of the World , 
 fiiperfede the Conftderation of his 
 ]S[atural ; ihe latter being oi l^or^ 
 thy our Admiration and Traife^ as 
 the former is of our Loye and A}- 
 feBion. 
 
 'Tis true^ God has in nothino^ 
 fo intenfely exhibited his Loye to 
 Mankind^ as in pyijig his Son j 
 nor can Man receiye a neater Ho^ 
 now\ than by being the Temple of 
 the Viyine Mind. The Confide^ 
 ration of which ^ may welljlrikeus 
 
 ivith 
 
To the Reader, 
 
 tpith jijhnipvmntj the Favour ^ 
 fo mnmife^ and ought in Juftice 
 to raife our Thoughts aboVc the 
 Dregs ofSenJc. 
 
 !But though a Mdn^ in Jo large 
 a Field d/S this^ may neVcr want 
 SMatter to exercife his Thoujihts 
 u^on^ and to raife his Mind to a 
 noble Height 'y jet "Tt^hoeVer conjt^ 
 dcrs the Nature of Mankind^ '\Vdl 
 foon findy that the Mind of M^^i 
 is of a Very inquifnive and capaci- 
 om Kature ; that Variety of Sub- 
 jeEis are more neceffary for his 
 Mindy than of Food for his 'Body - 
 that by this he enlarges his FacuU 
 ties^ advances his Timights , and 
 comes to difcern a ckaier Light 
 and Knowledge of Things. T^ay^ 
 the ABs of ^itgion ic felf^ are 
 often better j^erformed^ with more 
 
 Vigour 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 Vigour and Zeal^ after (ome l^e- 
 cejs^than when often repeated mth^ 
 out fome T>iyerfion. ^nd God 
 haying created fuel? Variety of 
 TInngs , wherein dipells fo great 
 an Excellency^ does more than hint 
 to us our Duty to enquire after 
 them. 
 
 7he (l{eproof of the Pralmift, 
 They negled: the Works of 
 
 God ^That the Works of 
 
 the Lord are great , fought 
 out by all that have pleafure 
 in them ; Tlyat they are wor* 
 thy to be praifed, and had in 
 honour, and ought to be had in 
 remembrance, and fpokeof; 
 That the Power and Glory of 
 God might be made known 
 unto Men, does include a Conir 
 mand to fearch into them. Ifaiah, 
 
 J^eakmg 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 jpeaking of the Jews^yi/f/^jThey 
 regard not the Works of the 
 Lord , neither confider the 
 Operations of his Hands. 
 Therefore my People are 
 gone into Captivity, becaiile 
 they have no Knowledge. 
 God prefer/d our knowledge of 
 him 5 even under the Law , to 
 Surnt Offerings 5 and the ^a^ 
 Jon u pUin ; Jor unlefs we know 
 jojnewhat of the ISlature of the 
 Eternal J n^e can neither pay that 
 Loye to his Goodnef?^ ncr ^eVe^ 
 rence to his Power ^ l^hich we owe 
 to both ; ive can in no fort JerVe 
 htm acceptably J hut we J]?all run 
 into the Super ftition cf the Athe=* 
 nians, ^/;o dedicated Altars Deo 
 ignoto. 
 
 For 
 
To the Reader, 
 
 For my part^ I knotty no dijje» 
 rence that diftin^uipetb ^!Mm 
 from "Brutesy but I\jioii?lcd^e and 
 Vertue ; the firft makes as like 
 Angels, the latter hke God. Be 
 ye holy as I am holy. ^uC 
 Vercue without Knowledge, 
 ruyis into Enchufiafm and Su* 
 perftition ; and Knowledge 
 without Vertue, gives us the 
 Tincture of Satan, ^oth 
 therefore are to he /ought ^ Ti>hich 
 mci^ be attained by a little induflry j 
 Jor fureiy ^l^e are not born to 
 ear, drink and fleep, and gra- 
 tifie our fenfual Appetites , like 
 ^eajls, ( nay they all perjormfome 
 beneficial Offices to JMen^ ) nor 
 to jnort in the ^ir^ like a Colt 5 
 7ior to trample on the Earthy like 
 an Ox ; nor to walk in the narrolj? 
 Track of our E^mployment^ like a 
 b Foot** 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 Foot'poU ', but to contemplate the 
 Divine Operations^ and to look up 
 towards God ^ith Gratitude^ for 
 making fo glorious a. World^ re^ 
 pleni(h'd withfuch admirable works 
 jor the Ufe and benefit of cMan. 
 If this be not fo , and that it is 
 fufficient jor a JMan^ to attain 
 an ExceHmcy in his Employment^ 
 tl^ugh he hii4 a liberal Education ^ 
 lohat difference is there hefMen 
 a Littleton and a Van Dyke, 
 both famous in their way ? 
 
 I muH agree li^ith Epicurus, 
 Tlyat J u [lice is the common Tie^ 
 Ti?ithout which no Society can fuh- 
 fiji ; 'tis that Vertue^ whichgives 
 to all their due^ and takes care 
 that none receive Injury. 'Tis 
 therefore one of the nohlejl Employ* 
 mmts', yet if the hno'^ledge there- 
 
 ^7 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 o/, {for I (peak not of its Morals^) 
 be confined to a Qity or a Country ; 
 ij it be meerly municipal^ %vhen re- 
 moyed from ones Country^ 'tis but 
 pedantry ; and therefore no Man 
 hcis ^afoit to Value Imn [elf much 
 on that account, ^ut the Philo- 
 fbpher is a Citizen of the 
 World, acquainted wfc thv 
 Pandects of Nature; the other 
 a Citizen 0/ England, Venice, 
 or Holland, andconfndto the 
 Walls thereof. 
 
 The employing our TI?oughts I' 
 how the Earth is continually fend^ 
 in^ forth a Vapour ; the Sea^ and 
 all its %iVers^ giving up their re- 
 find Tarts into the Air^ to nieet^ 
 and alky the fcorcVmg Influences 
 of the Heavenly Bodies. Tl)at 
 (ince the Water ofit felfis too 
 b % grofi 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 ^ro/? a hood for the Lungs^ and 
 the Celeftial Heat too yiolent and 
 intenfe^ to cherip? and fupport us ; 
 therefore ^od ftretcbcs out the 
 Waters on the Wings of the Wtnd^ 
 and rarefies the fame -^ and that it 
 may he exempt from excefji^^c 
 Cold y impregnates it tt^itb Vital 
 Heaty to become the true ft Food of 
 Life. 
 
 Tl?at the Heavenly "Bodies are 
 continually at work for us^ by their 
 perpetual motion^ emitting a Vital 
 Heat^ ti?hichcloathwgttJelfwith 
 an Aerial Veft ^ enters into the 
 Chambers of the Deep^ and there 
 frames all that Variety , T[b/;/r/;, 
 coming forth y ipe call the Works of 
 7>(ature. 
 
 Ml 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 ^nd that the Earth may not 
 be too dry ^ nor the ^^ers too 
 empty , by a conUant yielding uj^ 
 their SMoifture into the Region of 
 the Air^ on the ah fence of the Siin^ 
 the Vapour condenfes into a jertil 
 Ve"^ , li^hich defcendlng , che- 
 rijhes the thirfly plants ; and leB 
 this fhould not be enough , the 
 Clouds become Store^houfes oj Wa- 
 ter. And ^Dhereas the inJi^ard 
 Tarts of the Earth are kept moiH 
 and cool by the infinite Channels^ 
 through which the Waters paf? ; Jo 
 the upper parts are refrefhed by a 
 more plentiful Irrtgationy "t^hich is 
 of more Virtue than Fountain^ 
 Ipater , haying fomeH^hat of the 
 Heavenly Influences. He that 
 beholds the ^ys of the Sunagain/l 
 an opake ^ody , darting obliquely 
 on the Earth its Seminal Virtues^ 
 b 3 and 
 
1 o the Reader. 
 
 arid conftders that by the Command 
 of the Eternal , the Whed of 
 ^roVtdence is cGntinually at tpork 
 for us, ( ^vhlch brings Life it felf^ 
 being nothing elfe, as the. Learned 
 Monfieur d*Elpagnet/it)5, but 
 an Harmonious AO: proceed- 
 ing frorri the Union of Mat- 
 ter and Form , conftituting 
 the perfe6t Being of every 
 Individual, ) "^hicb the Ancients 
 fometimes reprefented by Vulcan 
 in his S/;cp5 jnaking and hammp'- 
 ing out curious Works. 1 fty,^ 
 he that confders thefe thingsltphich 
 a mean lindersianding is capably 
 of ) if he has any (park of^rar 
 iitude^ any Senfe of Obligation. ; 
 Tiay 5 if he is not l^rfe than a 
 (Brute, and more ftupid than a, 
 Block^ 7?2uft be inflanud^jththe 
 LoVe of fq immenf^ a ^unty. ; 
 
 'Ti?hicb 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 T^hich yi?hen he is^ be '^'tU natu- 
 rally exprefs it^ not only by an en^ 
 tire Obedience tofo infinite a Qoei- 
 nefs ; not only by an abftinence 
 from all appearance of Evil j but 
 by chufing to do uphat is moH emi- 
 nently ^ood^ and moft highly ac^ 
 ceptable to him. Of l^?at life 
 Juch a Temper ofcMind would be^ 
 both to theTerfon in particular^ 
 and the World in ^eneraL 1 need 
 
 o y 
 
 not declare^ ftnce Love, (which 
 Pkto calls the vioji Jncient of 
 the Gods J ) is the moU ravip^ing 
 ^ajfion^ and the moH delightful- 
 Enjoyment : That Love, tphofe 
 Centre is infinite ^urity^ who is 
 continually iff uing forth fuch ema- 
 ?iatio7is of Light^ Joy and ^lea- 
 Jure on the SMind of SMan^ that 
 "^e feem hut faintly to dart back 
 fomeyi>hat of that Love to the moft 
 b 4 Mu* 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 Munificent, which the Shallo!^* 
 nefs of our Capacities tvere unable 
 to receive ; for he firft loved 
 us, 
 
 'Tis impertinent here to defcribe 
 the beauty of the World ^ the Glory 
 and Excellency of its Tarts ^ the 
 Harmony and Order ^ the llfefuU 
 nefs and Benefic thereoj to S^'lan^' 
 klnd^ fincc Tully has done it in 
 his Natura Deorum , beyond 
 imitation : Tl:>ls Sir Roger L'E^ 
 ft range h^is ingenioujly Tranjla- 
 ted J and emhelhjhed with Learned 
 iKotes. 
 
 Tloe Wifdom and Order l>y 
 which the Parts ^ere moved ^made 
 the Stoicks think y even the Parts 
 themjehes endued with an intelli^ 
 gmt JMind^ and therefore ^li^eakly 
 
 enough^ 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 enough y called them Cjods^ not di- 
 y?i?2^«/y7;rV/^ between the Creator 
 and his IVorks^ which Epicurus 
 hath well confuted, ^ut I am 
 Jpap'd my Tedder^ and muH aik 
 Pardon of our Qergy for inya- 
 dmg iheir Province . 
 
 Tl^e Stm of all is this ; 'Tis 
 the Duty of JMankind to conftder 
 the l>laturaly as Ipell as J^oral 
 government ofViVme TroVtdence. 
 This is the Mean to attain th 
 End of our Creation^ i. e. to ad- 
 vance the Glory of Qod^ and ex- 
 alt and perfect our Minds. If 
 what I have hinted^ does fufficl- 
 ently fhew the Neceffity of this^ 
 the hlfgleSl of it is a Fault too 
 f obvious to need an Inference ^ and 
 the doing it^ an Advantage^ that 
 will jiiftifie ( at lea ft ^ excufe) the 
 following Effay. I have 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 I have but this to addy TImt 
 l^hateyer are th Faults of the 
 fallo'tHfing Difcourfe , / haVe a- 
 Voided one , Vi^hich the Learned 
 generally incur ; that is^ of being 
 too praeliminary : One mufi 
 dig fifteen Fathm deep before one 
 comes to the Oar ; thm infolding 
 dlittle Truth info much %tihhi[hy 
 makes him that has a quick Aj^pre^ 
 henfioHy and little Leifure^ negleEl 
 the former for the fake ofthelat^ 
 ter. ^ut this Fault proceeds from 
 afoolifh^ though cujlomary Fancy ^ 
 that unlefs a (Book has Folio 500 
 at the End of it, it makes no Fi- 
 gure on a Shelf ^hut is like to dli^in- 
 die into the contemptible ]>lame of 
 a pamphlet. Hence the dull 
 and heavy Tranfcrihers load Man- 
 Kmd mth intolerable Burthens , 
 and SMen^ like Ajfes^ receive that 
 
 Weighty 
 
To th^ Kcaideii. 
 
 ^, Weighty which fills, their Heads 
 w\ rather with ^moak cpid FimCythoik 
 Lijrht and Truth, 
 
 <b 
 
 Ul:>en I conftder th^thc Wtftjh 
 of SMen haVe delivered their 
 Thoughts ef JMen and Things^ 
 rather in (J)ort Apothegms, than 
 tedious Dijcourfes ^ and that the 
 Witty Greeks brought even Ar- 
 guments into the narron? compafs 
 of aJJ)ort Sillogifm ; that Mo- 
 les writ the Hi/lory of the Crea^ 
 tion in a Jhort Chapter ; and that 
 He who is more than Man^ com- 
 municated himfelf and what ivas 
 7ieceffaryfor the QoodofMan^ in 
 J])ort ^ arables^ that prnke a deep 
 impreffmi on the Mind • and in 
 pithy Sentences^ that may he ivrit 
 in a Sheet or two of Taper. lam 
 fully of opinion t^ith the Ingeniom 
 
 Mr. 
 
To the Reader. 
 
 3ir. Norris , That if Mgels 
 f^ere to Ttfrite^ we Jhould haVe 
 fewer Volumes^ and that the bre- 
 vity of this JDifcourfe is no real 
 Exception toitsTrutk 
 
 &■:" OF 
 
THE 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 i.^l ^ H E mijlaken Notion of 
 JL Tranfmigration throughout 
 the ^orU ; The Confequence of it 
 in Afia, where 'tis lelievd, Pag.i 
 a. The Propofition ftated; That 
 the Soul after its departure from 
 the Body^ does pafs into fome other 
 Animal ; this is fpoken of the Senji' 
 five J not of the Rational SouL p. 4 
 
 3. Proved in part hy way of In* 
 
 dull i on ^ • either that God makes 
 
 new Matter and Form daily , to 
 fupply the perijhing old ^ or that 
 things pafs and are changed into one 
 another, — - But God does not 
 make new Matter^ &:c^- T* S 
 
 4, That Tranfanimation of Spirits 
 may refer to Plants and Minerals^ 
 as well as j^nimals ; for they have a 
 Spirity or vital Principle. p. 8 
 
 5 Of 
 
The Concents. 
 
 5'. Of the Gentrat'ton of MetdilSy 
 and how the Spirit enters Matter, 
 Of the Imperfetl Metals^ and their 
 Caufe. p. 9 
 
 6. Of the Perfect Metals, and 
 hoib various Metals are in the fame 
 Place, p. 1 1 
 
 7. Of Stones ; the Precious, the 
 'Common : Plants, of two kinds ; 
 ^hatgrow of themf elves, and what 
 €tre foivn P- ^4 
 
 8. Of Plants that grow of ihem^ 
 feh^es, and the Cai^Je of their va- 
 rrety. p. 16 
 
 9. Vf their Figure , whence it 
 prareeds. p. xo 
 
 IG>. Ofthefoiving of Seeds, and 
 the fetting of Plants. p. zz 
 
 II. Of the Generation of Ani- 
 trials. p. 2 5 
 
 I L. How the Form leaves Mat- 
 ter in Animals, Minerals and Vege- 
 talks ; and what then becomes of 
 it ; that it paffeth into the Air^ 
 yjohere it receives new Virtue, p.xj 
 
 13. that thence it flows down 
 again , and animates a new Body, 
 ivhich is the true Notion of Tranfmi^ 
 gration, p. zy 
 
The Contents. 
 
 14. Objec9ion. That Animals 
 convey a Jenfitive Spirit in Genera- 
 tion \ how then dejcends a Form ? 
 
 I J. PimwtxtA,'''*'^ That though 
 they do convey a portion of fpe* 
 cifick Spirit^ yet the univerfal co- 
 operates ; The manner how ; from 
 the Air. ibid. 
 
 1(5. Of the Air; and the Mif-^ 
 chief of fulphurous Vapo urs , that 
 they caufe the Plague : The Way to 
 forefee it^ and a Dearth, Of ytu- 
 
 i^n^ , P- 37 
 
 I j.Homcr'j Juno explained, P43 
 
 1 8. TThy the [even Planets call d 
 Gods, That the Philofophers did 
 not adore all they calfd Gods, p.4(J 
 
 19. Whyfo many called Gods, The 
 firfl Principles of Nature^ hy the 
 Philofophers of all Learned Nations 
 called Godsy to conceal them from the 
 
 ' Vulgar . p. 5-0 
 
 20. The Defer ipt ion of Nature in 
 her Ajcent and Defcent^ according 
 to Homer. The Confent of the Phi- 
 lofophers ahoiit the frfl Principles. 
 
 p. 54 
 
The Contents. 
 
 i I . The Pullijhiyig the Falles of 
 
 the Ancietits^ an occafion of fJola- 
 
 try; the Original thereof^ though 
 
 from hehoUing the Stars ; yet not 
 
 for the Reafon R.Maimonides i^/x'^i". 
 
 V S7 
 22. Of the Myfteries of the An-^ 
 
 cients. p. 60 
 
 25. That ail the Ancient Fhilofo- 
 
 phers , that treated myfleriovfly of 
 
 Nature^ rr.eant the fame Thmg mi- 
 
 der divers ^tnigma's. p. dx 
 
 24. This made manifefl hy ex- 
 plaining an Egyptian Symbol accord- 
 ing to the Chaldean Ajirclogy^ and 
 Grecian Mytholoj^y, P63 
 
 25. ClfetlioyiS again ft T r an f mi- 
 gration an five red, p. 80 
 
 26. The Notion carried higher 
 than what generally imagined, p. 8 2 
 
 27. Of the Identity of Form in 
 all Bodies. p. 8 3 
 
 28. A Comparijon of the Form 
 in Animals^ Plants^ and Minerals. 
 
 p. 90 
 
 29. Of the excellent Form in 
 Metals y and of the perpetual Light 
 made cut of them \ of the gre At dif- 
 ficulty thereof p.91 
 
The Concents. 
 
 30. Ohjettion agabifi the Influ" 
 tnces of the Heavenly Bodied an- 
 fvoered. Ohjetlion^ that the Earth 
 hath Seed in it felf^anjwerd, p. 97 
 
 31. Other Ohjeflio^ts anfwcrd^ 
 and the Conclufwn therefrom, p. 1 04 
 
 gi. That Bodies are not afinihi-- 
 lated when their Spirit leaves thewy 
 nor new Suhflances made in Genera^ 
 tion ; hut pre^exiflent Suhflances 
 are made into one^ which acquire 
 nerv Qualities. p. 107 
 
 35. How Pythagoras might ca/I 
 himfelf Euphorbtis, that lived ma^ 
 ny years he fore him, p. i lo 
 
 34. Plato'i Opinion anfwered , 
 concerning the Degeneracy of the 
 Effeminate. p. m 
 
 35". Pythagoras his Ahfiinence 
 from Flefh^ explained, ?• 1 1 ^ 
 
 3^. Tranfmigrat ion in Plants and 
 Minerals , demon]} rahle to Senfe- 
 c p. it6 
 
The Contents, 
 
 And this concludes the Difcourfe 
 of Tranfmigration. 
 
 37. Four Things touch' J upon, 
 I. The Duration of Bodies. 2,. Some 
 Principles and Elements generally 
 received ^ examined. 3. Some A- 
 riftotelian Hypothefes examined ^ 
 and compared with thofe ^/Demo- 
 critus , &'r. 4. How the Earth 
 comes to he filed with variety of 
 Bodies , abounding with different 
 Qualities^ p. 118 
 
 38. Of the Duration of Bodies^ 
 and of the Calcination of the Earth 
 in the general Conflagration, p.119 
 
 39. Of Principles and Elements I 
 and firji^ of Principles ; hcw^ and 
 when the J came into the World. 
 
 p. Ii5 
 
 40. That there art hut two Prin* 
 c'rples , notwithjlanding the Chy- 
 mifts, and the Invention of Para- 
 cellus. A Defer ipt ion of Mercury. 
 
The Contents. 
 
 41. An Oh jetton of reducifig 
 things hy Fire into three Frimi- 
 pies , anfwered ; Ariftotle'i Three 
 Principles like wife an/we ret/.^.i^^ 
 
 41. Of Elements when d'lflin^ 
 guiflid from Principles. A Jhort 
 Defer ipt ion of the Air^ the Earthy 
 the Water^ and, the Fire, that 
 by the Words (Heaven and Earth) 
 are to he underfiood^ the Form^ and 
 the Matter. P- 141 
 
 4^. 77?^^ Elements and Pri;jcx' 
 pies may he termed Equivocal^ and 
 that there are hut Two, p. 147 
 
 44. An Anfwer to S s, touch* 
 
 ing Four Elements ; wherein "tis 
 fhewedy that there are hut Two E* 
 lements ; that of Water ^ the Taf 
 five Matter ; and the Sclar Influx^ 
 the Form. p.148 
 
 4?. Some Ariftotelian Hypothe- 
 
 i^s examined ^ and compared with 
 
 thofe of Democritus, That the Ele^ 
 
 tnents are not contrary and oppofte^ 
 
 c X ai 
 
The Concents. 
 
 as Ariftotle hoUs ; iut agree ing^and 
 alikey in a remifs degree^ according 
 ;^ Democritus. P-ifo 
 
 46. Of the Primary Qualities in 
 Bodies , ( according to Ariftotle , ) 
 whence proceed their Effe^s; and 
 of the Atomical Phyfiology of Leu- 
 cippus , Epicurus , and Democri- 
 tus. Both Opinions examined, p.ij?, 
 
 47. Reafons againjl loth ; and 
 for a middle Of inion, P- ^ 57 
 
 48. Of the Original of Qualities. 
 Herein the Creation is cor>fideredy 
 and that according to Mofes. p. 164 
 
 49. That theft Words [The Spi- 
 rit of God moved on the Face of 
 the Waters,] are not to he under^ 
 fiood of the Holy Ghofl. P* 167 
 
 50. Of the Firfl Days Work : 
 The Creation of Matter and Form^ 
 and dividing the Light or Form 
 from the gr offer l^atter. p. 1 68 
 
 51 
 
The Contents. 
 
 ^r. Of the Second DayslVorkj 
 or the Espanfion^ ay^d Div'ifeon of 
 the Heaters above ^ from thofe he- 
 low. p. 169 
 
 51. Of the Third Days Work: 
 The Generation of Plants. p. 1 7 x 
 
 53. Of the Fourth Days Work : 
 The Co tie cling of the Light or Form 
 into the Body of the Sun. ibid. 
 
 5-4. Of the Fifth D.iys Work : 
 The Generation of Fifl^ and Fowl^ ly^ 
 the Vnion of Water and the Form. 
 
 p. 171 
 
 5-5-. 0/ the Sixth Days Work : 
 The Creation of Beafis and Reptiles^ 
 and laflly^ Man. ibid, 
 
 56. How the Earth comes to be 
 filled with variety of Bodies ^abtnrnd" 
 ing with different Qualities, p. 1 7 J 
 
 57. That the various Accidents 
 and Qualities of Bodies proceed 
 
 J rem the various Intenfion and Be* 
 
 wiffion 
 
The Contents. 
 
 'tn'tJIion of the Form ; not according 
 to Des Oirtes , from the differnt 
 Magnitude and Figure of their 
 Principles: this illufirated hy /(?- 
 veral Injlances. P« 1 7 ^ 
 
 58. The Qonclujion, p.184 
 
 THE 
 
I 
 
 I 
 
LICENSED, 
 
 January id. \ 6^1. 
 
 Ja. Frafen 
 
^ ^ ^ <^ <^ ^ Sh ^0/2 w 
 
 JSit^V '^^ tiiii^ >5^ sgta- «^^^ ^t^'^iir 08^^ ' 
 
 O F 
 
 Tranfmigration, d^r. 
 
 THis Opinion of Tranf- 
 migration of Souls , 
 which is father'd upon 
 Pythagoras , is iniftakefi every 
 Inhere ; but very groHy be* 
 lieved in Tegu , Magor , and 
 other parts of jjta : For be- 
 lieving that the Soul doth pafs 
 into fome other Creature, af- 
 ter its departure from the Hu^ 
 mane Bo:ly, they abftain 
 from no fort of refpe6t to the 
 moft contemptible Creatures, 
 a and 
 
Of Tranfmigratton j or, 
 
 and fuperfticioufly avoid do- 
 ing any hurt to that Animal, 
 whofe Body, they think, con* 
 rains the Soul of their deceaP- 
 ed Father. Novv, how they 
 could tell,or why they (liould 
 think, that this, or that Beaft 
 is thus animated, rather than 
 another, I confefs is ftrange^ 
 and what is nx>re To, it feems 
 from the Belief of thole in 
 Bengali , and other Parts of 
 the Eafl-Indies , ( who ima- 
 gine that the Souls of Good 
 Men pafs into Cowsjand luch 
 ufeful Creatures , and the 
 Souls of Bad Men into Crows 
 and fuch hurtful Birds or 
 Beafts , ) that theie People 
 think it of the Immortal Ra^^ 
 tional Soul, rather than the 
 Senfitive, For the Faculties 
 
 of 
 
Natural Thilojophy, 
 
 of the Rational Soul are ex- 
 erted naturally in the kind 
 Offices of Beneficence and 
 Hun:\anity ; but thole of the 
 Senfitive, only in Growth and 
 Senfe. It looks as if Folly 
 begot, and Superftitious Fan^ 
 cy propagated this Opinion : 
 1 hough to do Right to Ty^ 
 thcLzoras. who was doubtlefs 
 a great Man, the abfurdity of 
 this Opinion is as far remote 
 from his Sentiments, as the 
 Manichc^m Herefie 13 different 
 from the Chriflian ^ligton. 
 
 But Phildfophy and Reli=^ 
 giori have both fafiered alike 
 by Ignorant Expoficors : For 
 what will not a wild Fancy 
 and Httle Judgment, cencer'd 
 in a Man fond of his own 
 Thoughts, produce ? What 
 B 2 ftrange 
 
of Tritnjm'm'ation ; or^ 
 
 ftrange Opinions in Religi^ 
 on ? What barbarous Cruel- 
 ties by Humane Sacrifices to 
 the Heathen Gods, hath the 
 World been filled with ? Nor 
 is Philofophy it felf exempt 
 from very odd Conceits. Thus 
 are the beft Things corrupt- 
 ed. 
 
 But to return to our Au- 
 thor, vvhofe Opinion afferted 
 is, That the Soul, after its depar" 
 tun from the 'Body , p^fj^s iniQ 
 fome other JnlmaL This is as 
 ilrongly put as any thing faid 
 of him (for we have all by 
 Tradition, ) \vill bear. This 
 Opinion I propofe to defend, 
 and fi:ee it from the Abfurdt- 
 ties Men have pat upon it, 
 and reftore it to its native 
 Senee, But let me premife 
 
 here;, 
 
Natural ^hilojo^hy. 
 
 here, That I do not intend 
 this Migration of the Ratio- 
 nal Soul ; but of the Senll* 
 tive and Vegetative Spirit ; 
 which Terms of Soul and 
 Spirit, being often ufed as 5>'- 
 jionymas^ have given occafion, 
 efpecially to the Ignorant, to 
 miftaks the meaning of 'Pj- 
 thagora^. 
 
 He th-it confiders the Frame 
 of this World, the Context 
 ture of Man, and the perpe- 
 tual Viciilitude and Change 
 of Things, will eafily believe, 
 that either God makes new 
 Matter and Form daily, to 
 fupply the perifliingold ; Qr 
 that Things pafs , and are 
 changed into one another, by 
 a continual Circulation. But 
 we all know that the Eternal 
 B 5 having 
 
of Tranfmio^ratton ; or. 
 
 having made the World by 
 his Wifdom and Power, does 
 preferve it now by his Provi- 
 dence and Goodnefs ; fo chat 
 we muft be forc'd to acknow- 
 ledge , not a new Creation, 
 but a Mutation of Things, 
 that begets this Variety. 
 
 Man indeed is endowed 
 with fomething more than the 
 reft of the Creatures ; he hath 
 a Rational Soul, that flioulcl 
 fit Prefident in his Body, go- 
 vern his Paffions, and direct 
 his A}te(5lions. How little it 
 does fo , proceeds from the 
 Vilenefs of our Wills, rather 
 than the Degeneracy of our 
 Naturc:but we would excule 
 ourfelves. Befidesthis, he 
 hath a Vegetative or ^enficive 
 Spirit, w^hich is perfectly di- 
 ' ftinft 
 
Natural fhilo/ophy. 
 
 ftindtfrom the Rational Soul, 
 as well as Body : It feems 
 to be a Medium to unite two 
 Extreams, oi a Divine Im- 
 mortal Ray, and Grofs Mat'* 
 ter. 
 
 I am not difcourfing now 
 of the Government of the 
 Mind over the Senfitive Part, 
 and what Obedience the one 
 ought to pay the other ; noi* 
 how they contend for Domi- 
 nion , like Prerogative and 
 Liberty in a difturb'd State : 
 But 1 am laying the Founda- 
 tion of the Reafonablenelsof 
 Pjth^gor^ his Opinion, which 
 is the Tranfmigratton of Souls ^ or 
 Spirits ; for thefe Terms are 
 ufed equivocally. 
 
 To go to the bottom of 
 
 this Queftion, 'tis fit to confix 
 
 B 4 der 
 
8 Oj Tranfmi^ratm ; or, 
 
 der Nature in her feveral Pro- 
 vinces, SM'merd^egetahle^ and 
 An'mal ; for all created Beings 
 on this fide Heaven, may be 
 placed under one of thefe 
 Heads ; nor are the meanefl: 
 of them without a Spirit, or | 
 Vital Principle, which is all 
 one ; and thefe, like the Sen- 
 fitive Souls of Animals, eva=» 
 porate on the Diflblution or 
 Deftru6lion of their Bodies. 
 
 To fay how thefe Spirits 
 lea^T their Habitations , be« 
 fore I offer how they enter, 
 may be improper; I fhall 
 Ipeak therefore of this firft, 
 and then of the other. Nor 
 will it be impertinent, to the 
 Defence of ^ythagorcvshis O- 
 pinion, fince Tr an f animation of 
 Spirits may refer as well toM/- 
 
 ntrcil^ 
 
l<l^atural fhilofophy, 
 
 nerds and Vegetables as Animals ; 
 
 in reaard they are all aninna* 
 
 ted alike , as to Vegetation. 
 
 I fliall begin with CMetals. Of theGe- 
 ^ nerarion of 
 
 The Globe of Earth being How the 
 placed in the Air, and the^^^'/"' 
 Heavenly Bodies (^0 moving (.z)T;ike 
 round her, does receive into ^^^'^" ^^ 
 her Lap the Celeftial Influ* Hxfotbclhs 
 ences ; they give Heat or Life, y^^ pieafe, 
 flic, Paflive Matter (^;. ^^^^I^ 
 
 chom.m, this PoUtion anfwers them all. (Z^) Hence 
 may be underftoodtheci'^avc; oi Oqhcpis^ the Fa- 
 ther of the Gods, with f^tfta^ his Wife *, ard what 
 he and the reft of the Phiiofophers meant ly a Ge- 
 neration of Diiiies proceeding from fuch t^areats. 
 
 The Air ( the wmged Mei- 
 fengerof the Gods) big with 
 the Heavenly Fire, penetrates 
 the porous Earth, and there 
 abides. Being there detained, 
 
I o of Tran/migration; or, 
 
 it is congealed into a nioift 
 Vapour, or lubtil Water ; and 
 by the internal f^ulcan of Na- 
 ture fublim'd in the Veflel of 
 Earth, through the Pores and 
 Chinks thereof, till meeting 
 with compadt Matter, that 
 denies it entrance, or through 
 dtkd: of the moving Inftru- 
 ment , it falls back into the 
 Neft from whence it came : 
 By which means it becomes 
 lels fubtil , carrying with it 
 Ibmewhat of the grofs Mat* 
 ter, through which it pafled, 
 both in its Afcenfion and De- 
 fcenfion -, it having not yet 
 obtained the Gravity of a fix'd 
 Body, but enjoying ftill the 
 Of the Inv Priviledge of a pure andTub- 
 
 tah^^ ^'^ ^^^' ^"^^^ ^^^^ volatil Nature j 
 it again takes another flight 
 
 through 
 
lS[atural Philofophy. \ i 
 
 through the dark Chambers 
 of the Earth ; paffing and re- 
 paifing thus frequently thro' 
 thefe places, it becomes the 
 true Laver of Nature, wafh- 
 ing away the Defilements 
 thereof; which falling down 
 with it , detains it , as in a 
 Priibn ; and not being able to 
 free it (elf from its Bondage, 
 fuffers the impure parts to be 
 congealed together, with the 
 pure Salt of Nature, irs proper 
 Habitation. And thus an im- 
 perfect Metal is made, diver* 
 fificd only by the difference 
 of the heterogeneous Impuri- 
 ties, and the RemiflSon or In- 
 tenfion of the Heat of the 
 Place. 
 
 But Nature, that tends al- of Perfeft 
 way >. to Perfedion, makes an Petals. 
 
 im- 
 
12 
 
 Of Tranfynigration 5 or, 
 
 improvement from the mif- 
 carriage of this Foetus ; for a 
 new Vapour pafling again 
 through thefe purified Chan- 
 nels, obtains what its Prcde- 
 ceflbr could not , that is. , a 
 pure and refin d Salt, void of 
 heterogeneous F^ces. This 
 uniting with the warm Va- 
 pour, and being diflblv'd by 
 It, caufes it to lofe its Airy 
 vaporous Nature , and be- 
 come a clammy Subftanccj 
 from which State (being dige- 
 iled by its own internal Fire, 
 and that of its Matrix, conti* 
 nually replenidi'd by a Solar 
 Influx) it advances into a foft, 
 but clayie Body, till through 
 iengch of Time, it b:^co.mes 
 decoded into a more or lefs 
 ripe Metal, according to the 
 
 more 
 
Natural Phtlofophy, l ^ 
 
 move or leis Purity and Heat 
 of the Womb. 
 
 Thus in the fame Vein of How vari- 
 Earth, Metals of clivers forts ^"' ^^^"^f 
 may be rounds as ^/m-fw^ Tame place. 
 Magnus tcftifies in thefe words^ 
 In 'JSlatur^ opcribus didici propria 
 yifuy quod ab una Ortgine fiult 
 Vena^ O" hi quadam parte fiilt 
 Aurum^ <^ in alia Jrz^ntum^ Ct* 
 fic de Center is ; qud^ tamen Mate- 
 ria prima fuit una^ fed d'lVerfus 
 fuit locm in colore ; tdeo diver (i- 
 tas loci^ depurationis^ Metalli di^ 
 yerfitatenij/ecundumfpeciem fuit 
 cperata. In EngltJI? thus : ^^ I 
 '' have feen in the Works of 
 '' Nature, from the fame O- 
 " riginal, a Vein of Metal, 
 " one part whereof was Gold, 
 " another Silver, and fo of 
 " the other Metals : The firft 
 
 Mat- 
 
 (C 
 
 k^.. 
 
14 Of Tr an/migration ;or, 
 
 " Matter of which neverthc- 
 " lefs, was one and the fame 5 
 ^' but the degree of Heat in fe- 
 ^^ veral parts of it , was di* 
 *^vers; therefore the Diver- 
 '' fity of that, caufed the dif- 
 ^^ ference of the Metallick de^ 
 ^' puration, according to the 
 '" feveral forts. But he that 
 doubts this, let him read the 
 Three Trafts of E'trouiis the 
 Great^ who deferves a Scatue 
 of Gold to be eredled to him, 
 in all the Colledges of Learn- 
 ing throughout the World. 
 
 Of Stones : St07ies fall under the fame 
 Thepreci- Denomination with Metals ^ 
 the beft of which, through 
 their great plenty of Heat and 
 Light, give a Refulgency to 
 the Matter, which is a Con=* 
 
 Crete 
 
 ous 
 
'JSlaturd PhHoJophy, 
 
 Crete of chat Vapour, joynd 
 to a pure Sale Water, and 
 fliines even to che Superficies ; 
 their form beingfb inten(e,chac 
 they feem even to Iwallow up 
 their Matter: Whilft the The Corn- 
 Common, through their grof- «^o«- 
 nels of Matter, partly occafi^ 
 oned by the defedt of Inter* 
 nal Heat, become dark and 
 opake •, their Generation be- 
 ing rather a Mixture of Earth 
 and Water, bak'd in the Fur* 
 nace of Nature, than the Im* 
 pregnation of Paffive Matter, 
 digefted by a lively Form. 
 
 As for [Vegetables , I divide vegetables 
 them into Two Sorts 5 the of Two 
 one, thofe that grow of them- 1^^^^** ^^ ^^ 
 felves, without any {owing ; themfelves, 
 as Weeds and wild Plants : ^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 the 
 
1 6 Of Tranfmigration-^ or, 
 
 the other, thoie that are raif* 
 ed by Arr,by lowing the Spe- 
 cifick Seed. 
 That grow As for the Firft, The Pro- 
 felves!'^' dudion of them feems to be 
 thus. The warm Vapour 
 that penetrates the Earth, is 
 fublim d by the Internal Hear^ 
 and paffing through large 
 Pores, arrives near the Super- 
 ficies -^ and carrying with it, 
 or rather meeting there fomes* 
 what of the pure Salt, dif- 
 lolves it into a liquid Sub* 
 ftance, which pure Salt gives 
 a Specification to the lubtil 
 Vapour , and is a fort of a 
 ipecifick Matrix to that Form, 
 which was before General 
 and Univerfal ^ for Salts ofdi*' 
 vers forts do abound in all 
 parts of the Earth. 
 
 Thus 
 
TSl^rtural Thilofophy. 1 7 
 
 Thus variety of Plants may '^"^ Canfe 
 anle ( as we lee they do ) ve- of Plants. 
 ry near one another, diffe- 
 renced by the feveral Salts , • J^^^^^^ ^' 
 througli which the y 2ipoux Tunhi^^e^ 
 pafs'd. and joyn d it felf to and other 
 them. For li the Air im- ^^^^^ ^^^^ 
 pre^nated with Vital Heat, fing thro* 
 conpeal'd into Water, is one ^^°"^''"^^' 
 and the lame in all Places, nated with 
 
 free and nndetermin'd, how ^^i.^/^^'J"^ 
 - • rTLl • i\. ij L oftheMines 
 
 IS ic poiiible It inouid have thj-ough 
 
 any Specification , but by which they 
 fomewhat it meets with ^^ pit {^y^i^l^ 
 the Earth, that joyning with few Iron 
 
 it, becomes a Seed, and iTioots ^y}^. ^"^^ 
 ' . IV ^ little com 
 
 up into a Plant ^ ? mon water, 
 
 for half an 
 hour, and it (hall have the fame tal1:e, not to fay 
 virtue ^ for thelron-ftone is too hard to have much 
 of iis Particles waflied off by the foft gliding of 
 Watery and common Water is too weak a Mi»' 
 firmtm to diffolve a Martial Body. 
 
 C This, 
 
I h Of Tranfmlgratm ; or, 
 
 1 his 5 I conceive , is the 
 meaning of Vemocritm^ and 
 (^alen^ That the firft Element 
 of Things is void of Quality, 
 that is, undeternnin d. But 
 why the Salts of the Earth 
 give tofome Plants a bitter, 
 to others a (harp Tafte^that is, 
 why are the Salts thus diffe- 
 renc d ? I had rather profefs 
 my Ignorance y than with 
 Tkmocritus znd^akn, fay, They 
 are all one, but only in Opi^ 
 nion. 
 
 This Queftion, how vari- 
 ous Plants come to grow of 
 themfelves, appear d to the 
 Great Vu Hamel (6 difficult, 
 that, though he ftarts the 
 Quefl:ion,he flips from it with* 
 out a full Anfwer. His Que=» 
 ftion is in theie Words : Unde 
 
Natural Thilojophy. 1 9 
 
 prodeant qu^ e terra nafcuyitur in- 
 jujfa gramina ? TSlunquid forte a 
 cc^loJor?nantuy?Sed Cerium cum fit 
 omni Vtta privatum^ qui poterit 
 Vitam a^srfenfum largiri ? At laftj 
 after giving many Anfwers, 
 and then conftitirig them, he 
 comes to this doubtful refolii- 
 tion 5 Inftuxus C(£ksles his infe- 
 rlorihus jortafje fe applicant. But 
 this comes not up to the Point. 
 Who doubts that the Heaven* 
 ly Influences occafion the 
 Groivth of Plants, and give: 
 the formal Effence to thofe 
 that grow of themfelves ? But 
 why the (ame Univerfal In- 
 fluence produceth different 
 Plants , which is the great 
 Quertion , in that he is filent. 
 This Matter having not yet 
 been fpoke to, at leafl as J 
 G 2 have 
 
2 Of Tranfmigratioji; or, 
 
 haA e met with, and in regard 
 the iearching Kature to her 
 Original and firft Caufe , is 
 more excellent, than to folve 
 Fhmomends by their Effe(5ls, [ 
 {liall fay fomeching to it in its 
 Place. 
 Of their Fi- gut iq return from whence 
 I have digrelVd; taking things 
 now as we find them, can ic 
 be a wonder that all Plants of 
 the fame fore, have much the 
 {ame Figure and Colour ? Tis 
 not certainly from their man^* 
 ner ot prefling through the 
 Earth, that they obcam the 
 fame likenefs j for how fliould 
 it happen, that the Specks of 
 every Herb fhould have fuch 
 a particular manner of pref- 
 fing through the Earth, as to 
 make it always retain the 
 lame fliape I But 
 
Natural Thilo/ophy. 
 
 11 
 
 But I rather conceive that 
 the faline Particles that joya 
 with the Vapour, being fo 
 and fo modified, ( for they 
 muft have fome Figure, } do 
 determine the general Moi^ 
 fture, as well to a conftant 
 uniform Figure and Colour, 
 as to a particular internal Na- 
 ture and Quality. Not un^ ™' ^'f' 
 like the very minute Seeds Q^iaiitics 
 that we fee^whofe Tafte does ^P^w«^ 
 more truly demonftrate the the^ vadous 
 Nature of its Plant it pro^ tranfpofiti- 
 duces , than the Microfcope ^^^^^^ ^* 
 can find out its Figure, and 
 yet its Figure is owing to the 
 Modification of the Seed 
 
 Thus Minerals and Vege- 
 tables feem to be made, not 
 by Creation, as at fivft, out 
 of nothing, but by the Uni- 
 C 2 on 
 
21 
 
 Of Tranfmi^ratm ; or, 
 
 on of Matter and Form, bleP 
 led from the beginning by 
 the Word of God, Crefcite <jp 
 multiplicammi. This for the 
 firft fort of Natural Produdi- 
 ons. 
 
 Ofthefow- As for the latter (i. e.) the 
 i.g of Seeds ^^^.^g of Seeds, and plant- 
 ing of Trees, ( which came 
 in with the Curfe,) their Pro* 
 dudtion may juftly be called 
 Artificial;but neither are they 
 produced without the aflift* 
 ance of the Univerfal Spirit ; 
 for being Ibwn in the Earth, 
 the moilt Vapour ( wherein 
 the Univerfal Spirit refts,) dip 
 folves the Body of the Seed, 
 whofe vital Principle being 
 let loofe, becomes adive and 
 vigorous, and meeting with 
 
 the 
 
Natural fhilofophy. 2 5 
 
 the Vapour of the Earth, (like 
 dear Friends) embrace and 
 unire ,• and being of an homo* 
 geneous Nature? grow up to- 
 gether, the General Moifture 
 being firft determin'd by the 
 Particular. 
 
 The Growth of Plants is Of Plants, 
 the fame, the porous Roots 
 fucking in the moift Vapour, 
 which is aflimilated into the 
 Nature of the Tree , by its 
 (pecificated Virtue. 
 
 As for the Generation of Of the Gc-^ 
 Animals, they are not unlike "^^.^"^J" ^^ 
 
 1 -r* In- r^T 11 Animals. 
 
 the Produtlionor Vegetables, 
 raisM by particular Seed. The 
 defcribing of which, may 
 offend a chafte Ear, or excite 
 a lafcivious Mind 5 therefore 
 I omit it. 
 
 C 4 Bm 
 
24 Of Trcinf migration 5 or. 
 
 But this Opinion, it's plain, 
 the Learned Ancients were of, 
 when they declared , That 
 Man was not propagated by 
 Coition only ; but that the 
 Univerfal Spirit, which flow^s 
 principally from the Sun, has 
 a hand in it. And therefore 
 they affirmed, That Sol ^ 
 Honw generant Hommemywhicn 
 1 fliall explain more particu- 
 larly hereafter. 
 
 For as Man is not fupport- 
 ed by Bread and Meat only in 
 his feniitive Capacity j but by 
 a {ecret Food of Life, that is 
 in the Air : fo neither is he 
 generated by the Union of 
 Two Sperms only, without 
 the afliilance of that fecret 
 Spirit, that enters the cloleft 
 Caverns , whence 'tis iaid^No?i 
 datur Vacuum^ ' Ic 
 
X^atural fhilofophy. 2 5 
 
 It being now faid how the • 
 
 Spirit enters , and vivifies 
 Matter, it remains, that we 
 give an account how it leaves 
 it again, and what then be- 
 comes of it. 
 
 There are various ways of How the 
 diflblvinp Nature in all the^^^^^^^^ves 
 _ n FN • • A Matter in 
 
 Parts ot her Dominion. h^ Animals, 
 
 nimals are deftroy'd either by 
 the Confumption ( through 
 the length of Time) of their 
 Radical Moifture, ( the Oil 
 that maintains the Flame,) or 
 by accident,or violence;when 
 the Senlitive Spirit ( for we 
 rpeak not of the R ational ) 
 leaves its Habitation, and re*- 
 turns into the common Re- 
 ceptacle of Senfitive and Ve* 
 getative Spirits, the Air^ from 
 whence it came. 
 
 Minerals 
 
i6 Of Tran/mi^ration; or, 
 
 How in Mi- Minerals and Vegetables 
 vcge'bkl ^^e <i^-ft^oyed by Fire, and 
 evaporate likcwiie into the 
 Air,(I mean the volatiL) Here 
 it was we found them at firft, 
 and here, in a little circulati- 
 on of Time , we may per^ 
 
 What then ^eive them again. Now 
 becomes or , . - , ^ ^^ , 
 
 the Form, being let looie trom that Pn- 
 
 thatitpaf- fon where the Spirits or 
 fes into the ^ i • t i r 
 
 Air where Forms were detained and Ipe* 
 
 it receives cificated , a little Time re« 
 
 Simplicity and Univerlality ^ 
 and flowing in an Ocean , 
 where the Celeftial Influences 
 are continually deicending, 
 and Vapours afcending ( like 
 the Angels on J^ca^s Ladder,) 
 they receive new imprefles of 
 Virtue, to fit them for farther 
 Service. 
 
 Thu§ 
 
T^atiiral Phllofol^hy. 27 
 
 Thus Nature is never idle, 
 and thus with Plato^ all things 
 are in a continual Alteration 
 and Fluctuation : Nothing^ac Mtwdta 
 cording to Pythaxoras^ is Cxtn^ ^'^J"!*^^ . 
 
 1 r - eft, mritur 
 
 ply new ; nor any thing, :kc^ fer^^^er & 
 cording to TrifmepUu^^ dxts i nafcitwr ^^ id 
 
 but all things pafs , and are J^^^'jt" 
 changed into fomethiiig elfe. tU^ quoddi- 
 '^For all mix d Bodies ^lx^T'^'^'Z: 
 
 made or the Elements,into ;7//w^«^w rr- 
 ^^ which, after a lictle time,*^^^^* 
 ^^ they are refolved again. 
 Thus Porphyry tells us, ^ ' that 
 '^ every Irrational Power is 
 ^' refolved into the Life of 
 '^ the «^/;o/^- 
 
 And thus thefe Spirits be- T^^^ v 
 
 ^ 1 r • thence it 
 
 ing ready and fat to iriipreg- flows down 
 
 again , and 
 animates a new Body, which is the true Notion of 
 Tranfmigratiofl. 
 
 natc 
 
2 8 Of Tr an/migration ; or. 
 
 nate new Matter, and She as 
 apt to defire it, according to 
 the Axiom of ^Materia appc 
 tit Formaniy ut VcemmaVirum ; 
 the fame Spirit which anima- 
 ted one Body, may, on its 
 Diflolution, animate another ,• 
 which I take to be the mean- 
 ing of Pythagoras his TranP 
 migration of Souls, or Spi* 
 tits. W^nctLucrtUuSy 
 
 Huid accedit uti quicque in fua 
 
 Corpora rurfum 
 T)lfJolVtt Natura ; neque ad ni^ 
 
 hilum intertmit ^s. 
 
 ^^ Nature the Form from Bo- 
 
 '■dies oft unties, 
 " New Bodies to inform, 
 
 '[ whence nothing dies. 
 
 If 
 
Natural Philofophy, 29 
 
 If this be not fo, I would ^^ ^odks 
 
 fainknow, what becomes of j^ihiiatecf" 
 the Form that animates Mine* muchlefs 
 rals, Vegetables, and Ani^ '''^^'"^'• 
 mals, not to fpeak of their 
 Bodies, which are only chan- 
 ged, not annihilated. Can 
 that Spirit that gives Life and 
 Motion, that partakes of the 
 Nature of Light, be reduced 
 to nothing ? Can that SenG^ 
 tive Spirit in Brutes, that ex- 
 ercifes Memory, one of the 
 Rational Faculties, die, and 
 become nothing i 
 
 If you fay, they breath 
 their Spirits into the Air, and 
 there vanifli, that is all I con- 
 tend for. The Air indeed is 
 the proper place to receive 
 them, being according to La^ 
 ertm^ full of Souls j and ac* 
 
 cording 
 
JO of Tr an/migration ;or, 
 
 cording to Epicunt^^ full of A» 
 toms, or intelligible Bodies 
 unapparent, the Principle of 
 all Things. For even this 
 Place wherein we walk, and 
 Birds flie, though it is proper* 
 ly rather Water rarefied, than 
 Air, (as I have proved by a 
 Magnet attrafting it, ) yet it 
 is thus much of a fpiritual 
 Nature, that it is invifiblc ; 
 therefore well may be the Re* 
 ceiver of Forms, fince the 
 Forms of all Bodies are fo : 
 we can only hear and fee its 
 Effects ; the Air it felf is too 
 fine, and above the Capacity 
 of the Eye. What then is the 
 j^ther^ that is in the Region 
 above ? And what are the 
 Influences or Forms that de^ 
 fcend from thence ? 
 
 The 
 
j>latural PInloJophy. ^ i 
 
 The Pythagoreans held, that 
 the Souls of Creatures are a 
 portion of jSther ; and all 
 Philofophers agree, that Jt^ 
 tkr is incorruptible^ and what 
 is (b, is fo far from being an^ 
 nihilated, when it gets rid of 
 the Body, that it lays a good 
 claim to Immortality. 
 
 Trcafures fallen into tfie 
 Sea , are loft only to them 
 that cannot find them, wit* 
 nefs our late Expedition. The 
 Spirit is not loft, but moving 
 in the Air , in its natural 
 Sphere, where it obtains new 
 Strength and Vigor. It pafles 
 into the Air^ as the Rivers 
 flow into the Sea. 
 
 Omnia 
 
^1 Oj Tranfm'igration:, or, 
 
 Omnia vmtantur , nihil Intent ; 
 
 errat <(y lllinc^ 
 Hue yenlt ; hmc^ llluc^ ^ quojli- 
 
 bet occupat Artus 
 Spnitus^ &c. Ovid, Metam. 
 
 Lib. XV. 
 ^*The Spirit never dies, but 
 
 *' here and there, 
 ^' Though all things change, 
 
 " it wanders through the 
 
 " Air. 
 Ohjeclion, 3^. Jo not Animals con* 
 
 That Ani or c • • 11 
 
 mais con- ^'^7 ^ oenlitive bpirit as v/ell 
 
 vey a SenH- as Body, in Generation ? How 
 lioSi- thendercendsaForm? 
 tion. I agree, they give a Porti^ 
 
 Tho^T"^' ^''^ of Specifick Spirit; yet this 
 they do hinders not, but that as the 
 convey a Bodv is fupported by Food , 
 
 portioxiof . I'll- • r 
 
 Specifick ^^ which there is a portion or 
 Spirit, yet Spirit, and as the Animal Spi= 
 
 fSpe'' ''^'y ^^^^' ^'^ continually flow- 
 rates, ing 
 
lS[atural Thilofophy. ^ ^ 
 
 ing forrh , are llipplied by 
 
 the Influx of new, and afll^ 
 
 fted by the llniverfal : To in 
 
 the Bufinefs of Generation^ as 
 
 well as afterwards, the Speci- 
 
 fick Spirit is enlarged and 
 
 multiplied by the Influx of 
 
 the General, or Univerfal. 
 
 >Iow this is more or lels ac^ The man^ 
 
 cording to the adivity of the i^srhow thd 
 
 e -r 1 c • • I'LL Uriverfd 
 
 ^pecl^ck Spirit 5 which be-g^ji-itjoyna 
 ing of the nature of Light, v/ith the 
 dorh attrad its like with more T:ffjli'' 
 
 . the Genera- 
 
 or lefs vigor ; not much un-tionofAni- 
 like an enkindled , though ^^^^^^• 
 not flaming Lamp , whole 
 Smoak or Effluviums, reach- 
 ing a neighbouring Light, at- 
 tracts it, and becomes enlight- 
 ned by it at a diftancc ; and 
 by how much-the Effluviums 
 are more powerful, they at- 
 D trad 
 
54 Of Tranfmigration j or, 
 
 trail a greater Proportion of 
 Light: For Light naturally 
 joyns and unites with Light, 
 as Fire with Fire ^ and the 
 Souls of Animals ( the Ratio* 
 nal excepted, ) are a Ray of 
 Heavenly Light. 
 
 Hence it comes to pafs , 
 that 5 in Men , Horfes, and 
 other Animals,you iliall have 
 a vaft difference ,• the Race 
 of fome 5 appearing always 
 full of Life;> and, as it were,, 
 all Spu'ic 5 whilffc that of o- 
 thers, are always heavy and 
 dull, and as it were, half ani^ 
 mated. And thus it is in le** 
 veral Plants, which every 
 Gardener knows by experi- 
 ence ; for you fliall have, in 
 the fame kind, fome produce 
 great increale, and others ve- 
 ry 
 
Natural Thilojophy. 3 5 
 
 ry little, in the fame Soil, 
 
 Now I fee no Reafon, why 
 
 the Univeiial Spirit may not 
 
 joyn with the Spedfick in 
 
 Generation, as well as afrer-^ 
 
 wards. And why not in that 
 
 of Animals, as well as in the 
 
 Prodii6lion of Vegetables ? 
 
 For though it is in the moift That the 
 
 Vapour latent in the Earth, ^"^'^^rf^i 
 
 as I hinted before, and imbi** niore plen^ 
 
 bed more or lefs plentifiilly, ^^^"'^y i^ 
 r L rx- • r^^'^ Air, 
 
 according to the activity ot .i^.j^ ^^f^^ 
 
 the Fornn ] fo is it more in- where. 
 tenfely in the Air, in its pro- 
 per Sphere; for the llniver- 
 lal Spirit lodging principally 
 there, permeates through all 
 the Parts of the ilniverfe,and 
 is that Nature that is always 
 ready, and at hand, to vivifie 
 difpofed Matter. 
 
 D 2 That 
 
2 6 of Tranjmgratton \ or, 
 
 That the That the llniverfal Spirk 
 ridncrea?^^^ multiply the animal one, 
 in Animals, aker the Birth, is obvious to 
 theUnJerftanding of all Men^ 
 for that portion oi animal Spi- 
 rit that animates an Infant, 
 would fcarce give motion to 
 a Manly Bulk. But 1 think 
 we may with as much reafon 
 deny the Growth and Increaie 
 of the Body, as shat of the 
 Spirit. All Men that know 
 the Benefit of good air, and 
 the Mifchief of bad , muft 
 acknowledge it. How do 
 the weak and languifhing in 
 a good air recover Strength, 
 and obtain new Spirit and 
 Vigour ? And how languid 
 and fickly do Men become in 
 a bad I 
 
 J Air^i 
 
Natural fhilojophy. ^ 7 
 
 And this may \^/ell be ; for 
 the Animal Spirits are of an 
 Aereal Principle ; which ap^ 
 pears from hence ^ whilft 
 th€y inhabic the Body, thro' 
 the intimate Union with the 
 Air , the Body is preierved 
 fweec 5 the Air continually 
 flowing in, adding new ftores 
 of Life, and giving Motion, 
 as it w^ere, to the whole Ma- 
 chine : But when the animal 
 Spirit is departed, then for 
 want of that Communion, 
 the Body putrefies and ftinks. 
 Hence Jnaxlmenes makes Spi^ 
 rit and Air Synonyma^. ^ ^^^ ^^^..^ 
 
 Xhe Reafon of bad Air is chief ot 
 occafioned by the grofsnefs of ^^Iphnroas 
 the Watery Humors, or SuU a^Mlng j^ 
 phurous Vapors that annoy the Air ^ 
 the Celeftial InHuences, by L^,^^i^^^^^^ 
 
 D 2 adhe-ria;?i 
 
 ^ae, 
 
3 8 Of Tranfmioration ; or, 
 
 adhefion to them. When the 
 Arfenical Vapors are multi- 
 plied, it begets a Plague ; and 
 it's more or lefs mortal^as they 
 increafe or decreale. Difmal 
 was the Place that Virgil 
 Ipeaks ofj 
 
 Q^iamfuper luudulU pot cr ant 'm- 
 
 pune Volantes 
 Tendere iter pennis ^ talis fefe 
 
 Hahttis atris 
 Tatic'ibm ejfundem y JupcrA ad con- 
 
 yexa ferebut. 
 Unde locum Graii dixerunt no^ 
 mine Avernum. 
 
 * O'er which no Fowl can 
 ' ftretch her labouring wings 
 
 ^ Such are the Fumes arifing 
 ^ from tholt Springs, 
 
 :;They 
 
Katural fhilo/bphy. j p 
 
 ^ Tbey mortal are , and fill 
 ^ the Atmos-Hall -, 
 ■ Whence do the Qreeks that 
 ' Place yivenip^ call. 
 
 Thefe Sulphurous Exhala* 
 tions dcftroy Plants and Fruit, 
 as well as Animals ; Plants 
 being blighted, and Apples 
 being fpotted, even with blue 
 fpots to the Core, in the late 
 Sicknefs'Year , where the 
 plague raged. The know- a Means to 
 ledge of which, by the in= forefee a 
 fpeaion of the Entrails of A- ^^'^^'' 
 nimals, may be had and fore- 
 feen, and by removal pre:« 
 vented. For when the im- 
 purity of the air cannot be dif- 
 cerned by the Senfe of Smel- 
 ling^ and when the Maligni* 
 ty makes no imprefHoa oa 
 D 4 the 
 
40 Oj Tranfmigratlon • or, 
 
 the outward Skin, at lea ft in 
 its firft approaches ; yer the 
 vital parts of Animals, which 
 hold the clofeft and moft inti- 
 mate Communion with the 
 Air, will prcfcntly difcover, 
 if there be an Infection in it, 
 by the difcolouring and putre- 
 fying the Parrs ^ for they are 
 firft tainted, then the Blood, 
 thence the Sore. 
 
 The Fore^ Hence, I conceive it was, 
 Pcartb. ^hat DemomtiiS^ when he was 
 reproached for his Poverty, 
 told his Defpifers , That he 
 could be rich when he plea(* 
 ed : For by this Oblervation, 
 being a great Diiledlor ofBo - 
 dies , he fore(fUv a Dearth , 
 and therefore bought up all 
 fhe Olives. Tlic Dearth hap? 
 
 pening^ 
 
'J>{aturdl fhilofophj. 4 1 
 
 pening , the Price of Olives 
 role 5 whereby he might ha^ve 
 fold them to great advantage ; 
 but the Seller repining at his 
 Misfortune , Vemocritus , like 
 himfelf, return'd the Olives 
 at the Price he bought them. 
 
 Democritiis therefore com- of Aogary, 
 mended the Wifdom of the 
 Ancients , for inftituting an 
 infpe6lion into the Entrails of 
 Sacrificed Beafts ^ from the 
 general Conftitution and Co- 
 lour whereof 5 may be per- 
 ceived Signs of Health , or 
 Peflilence , and fometimcs 
 what Dearth or Plenty will 
 follow. Jugury thus ftinted 
 by wife Obfervation, and ha- 
 ving regard to due Circum- 
 ftances, may be ufeful j but 
 
 the 
 
42 of Tranfmigration; or, 
 
 the Praftice of it amongft the 
 ^mansy as in foretelling par- 
 ticular Events to Men, and 
 the like, was juftly enough 
 derided by Ckero. 
 
 The Lofs But all Arts have fuffered 
 of Arts, ^y ^{^g additions of foolifii 
 
 Impoftorsj whence the un- 
 wary rejed the Truth , for 
 the fake of Error imerniixt. 
 Hence Arts and Sciences have 
 their Death, as well as Birth. 
 Hence the Tinging of Glafs 
 is loft y Yet 1 conceive, that 
 they who have Leifure , and 
 Knowledge in the Mineral 
 Province, may extract a Sul" 
 phur from Metals, that will 
 tinge and penetrate harder 
 Bodies , than that of Gla(s. 
 But to return to the Subject 
 
 of 
 
TS^qtural Philofophy. 49 
 
 of Air, whence I digref- 
 fed. 
 
 The good Air, and the The Benefit 
 Life and Spiric it brings, pro- of good Air. 
 ceeds from the fublimacion of 
 a light Water, acuaced wich 
 a Yolatil Nitre, which being 
 rarefi'd and irppregnated with 
 the Heavenly Influences, con- 
 veys down Life , new Re* 
 cruits to the Spirits oi Animals ^ 
 as well as to fUnts and A^«e- 
 reds. 
 
 " This, if you can receive Homer «?r 
 '' it, is Homers Juno, whomP'"^"^^- 
 ^^ Jupiter let down into the 
 ^' Air, with a weight at her 
 ^^ Feet, her Hands being tied 
 '^ wich a Gold Chain to Jup'h 
 "fe/s Chair. 
 
 The Meaning whereof^ is 
 this, That the Spiritual Influ- 
 ences 
 
44 ^f Tranfmi^ration ; or, 
 
 ences flowing from the Hca- 
 Ycnly Bodies, are too fubtil 
 for a Defcent, without a Bo- 
 dy J that the Air is the Body 
 or SMed'mm , that conveys 
 them down to the Earth. 
 And though thefe Forms flow 
 thus continually from the jS- 
 ther^ yet the Eternal God has 
 the ordering and difpofing 
 thereof,and that it is not done 
 without his Providence and 
 Diredion, 
 
 Thus, according to Socra^ 
 tes and ^lato^ there are Three 
 Principles of Things ; God , 
 Id^a^ and JMatter : God^ the 
 Efficient Caule ,• Id^ci and 
 JMatter^ the Formal and Ma- 
 terial. 
 
 I have 
 
Natural Philofophy. 45 
 
 1 have now defcribed Na* Superior, 
 ture in General , the Com- fe^rlor^Nal 
 merce between Heaven andtures. 
 Earth , and the mutual affi* 
 ftance they give each other. 
 The Waters giving forth a 
 fubtil Vapour, to dilute the 
 fcorching Influences, and the 
 Heavens endowing it with a 
 Vital Principle , lending it 
 back into its Native Coun- 
 try, enriched with the Privi* 
 ledge of Life. The incom* 
 parable Encheiridion ^hjlicx re^ 
 Jlitutit , fpeaking of the(e 
 Things, has thus ingenioufly 
 exprefs^d them. H^ec efl Na- 
 ture Uniyer/^ Scala^ Jacobo 
 Tatriarchd in Vijiom reyelata ; 
 ilU funt Mercurii Penney qua- 
 rum ope^ Ipfe (Deorum NuncinSy 
 antijuU mjjike d\clui ) Sufernm^ 
 
46 of Tranfmigration ;or. 
 
 Inferorumque Limina frpquenter 
 adire credebatur : i. e. '^ This is 
 '^ the Scale of Nature in ge- 
 " nera^ prefented to the Pa>» 
 ^' triarch Jacob in a Vifion. 
 ^' Thefe are the Wings of 
 " Mercury , ( myftically ftikd 
 " by the Ancients, the Mef- 
 " lenger of the Gods, ) by 
 " whofe help, he was believ- 
 ^^ ed frequently to vifit the 
 *• Courts of Heaven and 
 *' Earth. 
 The Seven Thus do Superior oovern 
 
 Planets cal- j • n i r • ^ vt 
 
 Jed Gods- ^^^ inHuence inrcnor Na- 
 afidwhy, in tures^ the former of which, 
 
 ate"'''^'^^^^^' the feven Planets, for 
 fence. their Excellency and Benefi- 
 cence to this lower World^ 
 the ancient PhilofopHers caU 
 led oei<;, which We rendet 
 ^ods'^ from i^^ ®^«Sv, their ff^r- 
 
 petual 
 
TS{aturd PInlofophy. 47 
 
 petiial JMotioru So the £ter* 
 nal^ by his Providence vouch- 
 lafiiig CO be always at work, 
 they thought o^k a fitting 
 Name for the Almghty, Not 
 that God has properly any 
 Name ; ( though J^ir cherts 
 gives us Seventy two, all in 
 different Languages,) yet 
 we may invoke the Divine 
 Majefty, by any of his At- 
 tributes. 
 
 So that the Philofbphers The ancient 
 themfelves, (I mean thofeSfL 
 who were worthy 01 that not adore 
 Title,) neither believed ^ot^^^^^^y^^* 
 adored a Multitude of Gods, 
 nor intended them for Wor- 
 fliip ; but propter excellentiamy 
 called both Things and Per- 
 {bns fo. Thus Homer calls 
 Sleep a God, when it hinders 
 
 Jupiter 
 
Of Tra?ifmigratio?i'y or, 
 
 Jupiter from aiflifting the Tro^ 
 jans 'y and Hejtod^ in his Theo* 
 goiila y has infinite Deities* 
 Whatever is produdive of 
 fomething elfe with hini, is 
 a God ; thus Contention is a 
 fruitful Deity, becaufe it pro- 
 duces Trouble, Grief, Q^ar* 
 rels. Fightings , <src. So the 
 ISlame ©eo^, might be given 
 by the greeks to fome of their 
 Hero's and great Perfons, as 
 to Antiochusy who was called 
 eik^ without adoring them ; 
 as the Title JMajefty is now 
 given to Kjnp ; which being 
 great intheabftrad, is not an 
 Attribute too low, even for 
 the jlmighty ; and yet we do 
 not adore them , when we 
 call them fo. 
 
 Thus 
 
]>ldtural Thilofopby. ^^ 
 
 Thus God himfelf ispleal- 
 ed in Holy Writ to call Great 
 Men Gods ; and thus the Ap- 
 pellative, Qood^ (whence the 
 Name Cjod is derived, ) is ap* 
 plied by us to all excellent 
 Things 5 as well as Perfons. 
 For Ariftoik could prove, by j^riflotid 
 ^n Argument from Motion, ^^^^^P, ^ 
 the Being of one Infinite God, on , that 
 by (hewing that there muft f^er^ ^^n 
 be a firft Mover, w^ho is the gq^. 
 Caufeand Origin of all Mo- 
 tion , who is Immoveable , 
 One, Eternal, and Indivifi- 
 ble : Which feveral Attri- 
 butes he has proved by irre* 
 iragable Arguments. But 
 this Subject merits a particu^ 
 lar Di(cour(e. 
 
 E I fliali 
 
5 o Oj Trcin[mlgraUon ; or, 
 
 How the I fliall only therefore add 
 pits'^ame Here, That Philofophy com- 
 to call ma- ing originally from the Poets, 
 D7 Things j.|^^y treated of Things in a 
 fublime and lofty Stile ; with 
 whom every Hill was Olym- 
 pi4^y and this Olympus^ HeaVen ; 
 every VaUey^Erehivs ; and every 
 Trince^ a ^od. And when they 
 treated of Nature, they re- 
 prefented her as the moft 
 Beautiful Viana^ no le(s than 
 a Goddefs, whom to behold 
 w^th unclean eyes,was Death; 
 and to unveil whom inde- 
 cently, to fiiffer the Punidi- 
 ment of TantaUis. The ad* 
 mirable Things fpoke of her , 
 (which the , People always 
 miftake,) made Jfta fond to 
 adore her. 
 
 The 
 
Natural fhilojophy. 5 i 
 
 The Philofbphers there* 
 fore, when they fpoke of the 
 Firft Principles of Nature, or 
 of her excellent Operations, 
 could call them no lels than 
 Gods, after the Laws of Poe* 
 fie. And this , I oblerve , 
 was an univerfal Cuftom in 
 all Countries, the Names on* 
 1 y differing, according to the 
 Language of the Country 5 
 but the Thing was flill the 
 fame. Hence are the Deities 
 of Homer's Oceanus and Tethys^ 
 Orl^hen^ his Ouranos and Vejla^ 
 the Romans Codus and Terra^ 
 the Father and Mother of the 
 Gods, ( u e. ) the Formal and 
 Material Principle of all 
 Things. And for the Opera* 
 tions of Nature, they tell us 
 F. 2 of 
 
52 Of Tr an/migration ; or, 
 
 of ^:>ea 5 whence Neptume^ 
 ^luto^ and even Joye himtelf 
 was delcended-For the univer* 
 fal Spirit falling on theWater, 
 they cdX^TSlcptum^^d ?iWo,fays 
 (^ice/'ojpenetrating the Earth , 
 where Treafures are found , 
 Pluto ^ from haSt^', Riches ^ 
 and whilft floating in the fofc 
 Air, Juno^ a Juyando ; for all 
 things live by Air ; and be* 
 caufe it included a Fiery Spi=' 
 rit, which digefting apt Mat^ 
 ter, became Metal, the Me- 
 tallick Nature : and by JoVe, 
 ( if you take it not as an Hy- 
 ferhole^ which here is not Ju^ 
 fitcr terOpt.Max. not a Perfon, 
 but Place, ) is meant the Em- 
 pyr^um-^ for that being near 
 to the Throne of the Divine 
 Majefty, was by a Metonymy ^ 
 
 not 
 
Natural Thito/o^hy. 5 -> 
 
 notunfidy called by his name, 
 
 who fits there. To imagine 
 
 thefe^Perfonsjaccording to the 
 
 Letter of the Poets , is be-^ 
 
 neath the Thought of a Man 
 
 of Sence ; to confute it, were 
 
 to write to the Crowd : 'tis 
 
 not worth lifting up ones Pen 
 
 againft it. 
 
 Theie are all (aid to flow 
 
 from ^k^, meaning the Chaos 
 
 of Hefjod^ and that dark A- 
 
 byis, the holy Qenefis calls 
 
 yoid and without fonn ; becaufe 
 
 of this Matter all things were(,;) ifay 
 
 made, which were afcer wards <^>"^^^f^? be- 
 
 divided and diftinguiiTied byspj,-ij. ^f 
 
 an informing, {a) created Spi- Light was 
 
 rk of Light, railing the moft^f^f 
 
 fubtil part into the higheft traded in- 
 
 Repion, whither corruptible '^^^l^^ ^^'^^ 
 T, . ^ r 1 ^ or tneSua. 
 
 Matter cannot alcend. 
 
 B 3 This 
 
54 0/ Tranfmigration ; or. 
 
 This Region the Philo(b- 
 phers caird Efnpyrdum^ J^^^y 
 or the Super^celeftial Heaven. 
 And as a further Defcription 
 of Natures operations, they 
 fcriptionof ^^^1 US the Story of j[7;ef)5her 
 Nature in going to Vtilcans Houie of 
 
 Ind^'uT fl^i">"g Brafs, his falling in» 
 fcent. to her Lap , when he was 
 thrown down from Heaven , 
 her mounting the Sky in a dark 
 Dref-, to vifit Jupiter , who 
 receiv'd her kindly, and pla- 
 ced her near himfelf. Hence 
 is the ^dad and Atargates of 
 the jijfyy'wis ^ the firft repre^ 
 Tenting the Sun, with his 
 Beams bending downwards, 
 the latter the Earth, ready to 
 receive them. 
 
 Then 
 
Nat ural ^hilofophy. 5 ^ 
 
 Then again for their Prin^ 
 ciples, this is the Mind and 
 Water of AnaxagorM and Tha- 
 ks y the SoulofthelVorld^ that 
 animated all the Parts there* 
 ot, mentioned by ZoroaUer , 
 Pythagoras , Her adit m , ^lato^ 
 and 2i??2a. The Fe/la and 
 yoVe ( related by Herodotus^ ) 
 of the Scythians ; the Hr, i. (r. 
 Light or Fire of the Chaldeans ^ 
 and Water of the Terjwis , 
 (which the common People, 
 through Miftake^worfliipp d) 
 the Fire and Water of Hippo- 
 crates , which could do all 
 things, the Aetes of Hefiod , 
 that married the Daughter of 
 Oceanu^s ; that Fire^ which 
 fome made fynonymous wi^ 
 Sol j the Air^ which they cal- 
 led Fenm , the Virgin, ( be- 
 E 4 caufe 
 
56 Of Tranfmt^ratton ^ or, 
 
 caufe not fpecificated ; ) and 
 in a word , that Myftery , 
 which the AncientSjWich great 
 Induftry and Arc endeavoured 
 to conceal from the Vulgar, 
 calling ic by divers Names, 
 fliadowing ic in Hieroglyphicks^ 
 JF.nlgym 5, and dark Fables j to 
 the end ic might noc become 
 common ; buc yet To , that 
 the Induftrious might by la* 
 bour and fearch attain the 
 knowledge of it. 
 
 For as Efdra^ had his 'Books 
 ^f Wifdom J which the Wife 
 pnly were to look into; fo 
 had the Magt their Occult ^hi- 
 hfophy^ which they delivered 
 down to their Sons of Learn- 
 ing, cither Cabaliftically^ or in 
 a Stile the Common People 
 
 dvd 
 
'Natural fhilofophy. ^ j 
 
 did not underftand. Thus 
 Pythagorcts and Ariftotle had 
 their fecret Philoibphy, which 
 they taught only to lome par- 
 ticular Perfons , whofe Wic 
 and Morals they were well 
 alTur'd of. And though Ar 
 rtftotie publifhed his Acroaticks^ 
 yet it was in fuch a ftile, that 
 he tells Alexander , that none 
 but thofe who heard them 
 difcourfe thereof, could un- 
 derftand them j that is, they 
 were exprefsd in a manner 
 difficult to be underftood, to 
 keep off the Multitude; yet 
 they getting fight of the Fa= 
 bles of the Ancients, by the 
 unlawful Publifliing of them, 
 by fuch as Hippafus^ Hippar- 
 chtis^ and Empedocks^ they be- 
 came an Offence to them, 
 
 ( Scaiu 
 
58 of Tranfmigratlon; or, 
 
 {Scandalum acceptum ^ non da* 
 tum^ ) and thereby fell into 
 Idolatry. 
 
 W I fay of The Original [ of one ( % ) 
 
 one Species^ . p r • 1 1 
 
 for various op^^i^^ J wnereor, might be, 
 were the ^3 g^. Maimonides faith , from 
 
 dolatry ^ ' ^^^ Worflhip of the Stars ; but 
 and there furely not for the Reafon he 
 
 ral Origins S^^^^' ^'' ^•) ^^^^^ looking up 
 from to Heaven , and beholding 
 whence ^.j^^jj. Splendor, adore them, 
 theyfprang , ( ' c r- ^ vt 
 
 the Wor- ^s the Viinuters ot God. By 
 
 Hup of the Stars, he could not mean the 
 bdngThe P^^^ > ( J^hey might as well 
 
 Original of 
 
 all Idolatry i formofb Nations adored feveralDe 
 ities. The Scythians adored the fF;W, as God, 
 being (as they fayj the Caufs of Life. The ChaUe- 
 ans adored Fire\ the Pevfi^ns^ Wanr »^ the Ro- 
 mans^ Earth, under the Name of Tf/^^ 3 the Egyp^ 
 n"4»j, divers Animals and Infers -^ and all Nations 
 had their Deified Heroes. 
 
 have 
 
lS[atural Philofophy. 5p 
 
 have worfliipped a Flock of 
 Sheep ; ) nor is their Splendor 
 confiderable : ]( Planets ; how 
 comes Saturn^t\\2iZ is a dark & 
 obfcLire Planet, fcarce vifible, 
 that moves flowly, to have 
 fuch glorious Things faid of 
 him ( above the reft of the 
 Planets, even of Sol himfelf, ) 
 whofe Life was the Golden 
 Age ? 1 his could not be from 
 the outward Appearance , 
 which takes with the People. 
 This therefore could be no 
 Argument with them for A- 
 d oration ; but this was (poke 
 of fomewhat elfe, under the 
 Homonynitum of Saturn^ which 
 is highly valuable^underftood 
 by the Magi^ ( and therefore 
 not adored, ) though not by 
 the People, for whom thefe 
 
 things 
 
6o Of Tranf migration 5 or, 
 
 things were never intended, 
 nor yet for the Stoicks^ who 
 trifled in this Matter, 
 
 Of the My. The Truth is, the Meta- 
 
 fhl^ A^nc[. i^'^^^^ ^^^ Allegories , and the 
 ents. exceeding abftrufe way the 
 Ancients took of veiling their 
 Knowledge in Natural Philo^ 
 fophy^ fhews, they were calcu- 
 lated only for the moft ele- 
 vated Minds 5 whofe happy 
 Condition gave them leifure 
 and opportunity to advance 
 their Contemplation into the 
 fatisfadion of experimental 
 Certainty. Whence thefe Men 
 knew what the meaning was 
 of Jupiter s expelling Saturn^ 
 the Union of Mars and Fenm^ 
 Saturns devourina his Chil* 
 dren, or x^ov©- his Son Sadidn^s^ 
 
 Atalanta 
 
Natural Philofophy. 6i 
 
 Atalanta fugmis^ &c. That 
 thefe were not fpoke of Per^* 
 fons, but Things, and are in 
 no fert immoral ^ though 
 fome Pedants have given a 
 barbarous Account of them ; 
 who , having daub'd their 
 Writings with (jreek and He^ 
 hreiv^ would make one nau- 
 feate the Tongues, for the 
 Stuff they deliver. 
 
 Jamblichus tells us of the 
 Symbols of ^)thagoras ^ that 
 without a right Interpretati- 
 on, they appear like foolifh, 
 trivial Fables ; but rightly 
 explained, difcover an admi- 
 rable Sence, no lefs than the 
 Divine Oracle o^Tjthian Apol- 
 lo. But thefe were the Area- 
 na Sapientum* Ham qu^ Sa^ 
 
 cerdotes 
 
6i 
 
 Of Tranf migration ;or, 
 
 cer dotes condita in Arcanis ha^ 
 be?ity nolunt^ ut Veritas ignota fit^ 
 ad multos manare 5 Poena its ad^ 
 jcBa^ qui ea in Vulgus proderenty 
 faith Viodorus. That is, '^ The 
 Priefts were unwilling, that 
 thole Things which thev 
 had concealed. fliould come 
 abroad j fome Truths were 
 to be kept fecret, and Pe- 
 nalties infiided on thofe, 
 who would proftitute them 
 to the Vulgar. 
 
 That all 
 the ancient 
 Philofo- 
 phers that 
 treated my- 
 flerioufly 
 of Nature, 
 meant the 
 fame Thing 
 under di- 
 vers Mmjr- 
 tna J, 
 
 Now that the Philofophers 
 of all Nations, that were ac^ 
 quainted with the Myfteries 
 of Nature , meant the fame 
 Thing under different Masks, 
 will appear m.ore evident, by 
 explaining an Egyptian Sym- 
 bol, according to the Chaldean 
 
 Aftro^' 
 
ISlatural Philojophy. 4 5 
 
 Aftrology, and (jrecian My** 
 thology. Though ic muft 
 not be expected from me, 
 whilft I am building up the 
 Honour o( Tytha^oraSy that I 
 (liould violate his great Law 
 of Secrefie ; that I fhould ma^ 
 nifeft in publick, what is fie 
 only for the communication 
 of an intimate Friend. But 
 I fliall offer enough to main- 
 tain my Aflertion^ 
 
 The Egyptians^ in their Sym- Au Egyptian 
 hls^ were wont to paint Mer* Symbol ex- 
 cury youthful, with Wings on According 
 his Feet, and at his Head, ti^o the 
 Caduceus in his Hand, twifted 
 about with two Serpents , 
 the Magical Number of Se- 
 ven, ^c. 
 
 The 
 
($4 Oj TranfmigratioH'y or, 
 
 Chaldean xhc Chaldeans^ in their A- 
 
 ^^ ^^^' Jlrology ^ acquaint us, That 
 Mercury is of the Nature of 
 that Planet with which it is 
 in conjunilion ; that with the 
 Malevolent , he is Malevo* 
 lent ; with the Benevolent, 
 he is Benevolent; and that 
 he always follows the Sun. 
 
 Gretian The (^recians^ in their M)^ 
 
 Mythology ^j^^j^^^^ ^^|| ^^^ cMercury was 
 
 the Meflenger of the Gods, 
 Was wont to pafs from one 
 to another, and that he was 
 a Thief, O^c. Now all 
 thele Three are but feveral 
 Modes of expre/Ting the lame 
 Thing ; and that according 
 to the Genius and Dilpoficion 
 of each Nation. 
 
 Th 
 
 e 
 
Natural fhilofo^b). 65 
 
 The Egyptians affe6ling Paint'> Egyptian. 
 ing;, were for communicating 
 their knowledge of Nature, 
 by chat of Paine and Figure , 
 as a wife and diicreec way of 
 concealing from the Vulgar, 
 what was not fie, or neceffa- 
 ry for them to know ,• but 
 ^v hat the Wile and Learned 
 by labour and induftry might 
 attain , without which, they 
 were unworthy of it- Which 
 Pradice fome continue to this 
 day, as 1 have lately feen in 
 Libro mnio ^hilofo^h'u^.^ Printed 
 in France j and as may be feea 
 in the Emblnns of Maierus, 
 
 The Chaldeans^ that wercch^l^ean. 
 
 great Oblervers of the moti^' 
 
 on of the Stars, their Diurnal 
 
 and Annual, their Retrogra^ 
 
 F dation, 
 
66 Of Tranftnigration ; or, 
 
 dation, and Progreflion, and 
 in fliorc, of the whole Oeco- 
 nomy of the Heavenly Bo- 
 dies , had herein fufficienc 
 Matter to allegorize all their 
 Knowledge of Natural Thiio=^ 
 fophyy in the myfterious way 
 of the Motion, Conjunction, 
 Oppofition, isrc. of the Pla- 
 nets y as fome Men now ule 
 to do their fecret Defigns , 
 under the Cant of Trade. 
 
 Creciarj. The Qrecians , when this 
 
 Learning was brought them 
 by Pythagoras y and fome few 
 others that travelled into £- 
 gypt amongft the Priefts ; be^ 
 ing a witty People, abound- 
 ing with a Luxuriant Fancy, 
 did not like the dull and fi- 
 lenc way of Symbols, which 
 
 they 
 
Natural ^hilojophy. ^7 
 
 they called Hiero^lyphicks ; 
 wherefore they were for 
 communicating their Know- 
 ledge of thefe things in a Po* 
 etick , Romantick manner , 
 dilguifing the fame with 
 ftrange brories, and fabulous 
 Relations of Gods and God- 
 deffes y Men and Women , 
 Heaven and Hell; wherein 
 they fcarce gave any reftraint 
 to cheir Wit, or confinement 
 to the Rules^even of Vertue 
 or Decency ; fuch is the En- 
 thufiafm of Poetick Rage* 
 Sometimes they mixed J/l4o- 
 rals with their Mythology ; at: 
 others, neither fparing Hea- 
 ven or Hell, Vertue or Vice, 
 to reprefcnc their Knowledge 
 and Experiments in Natural 
 Philolbphy, 
 
 P z Thus 
 
(58 Of Tranfinigration-y or, 
 
 Thus when they wouU 
 exprefs the incimace Union of 
 two Natural Bodies, becaufe 
 the enjoyment of Marriage 
 confin'd the Fancy , and, as 
 they thought, lefiTen d the de^ 
 fire , nothing would ferve 
 their turn , but to heighten 
 the Union, to bring in the A*- 
 dukery of Mars and Venus ; 
 but yet their being caught by 
 the power oF Vulcan^ and co- 
 ver d in an Iro/iNer, was fuf- 
 ficient to inform the Philofo- 
 pher, that there was no more 
 intended by this, than to fliew 
 how clofe a Union thele two 
 Bodies would make by the 
 power of Fire. The Ket 
 whereof was not cafually 
 mentioned , fince there are 
 fome living, who have feen 
 
 the 
 
Natural ^hilofo^hy. ($p 
 
 the Operation reticulatim.T ho 
 after all, to do right to the 
 Ancients ; OVid , and other 
 Poets, that have collf fted the 
 Grecian Mythology^ out of the^r 
 Philofophers and Poets, have 
 ( Poeticci LicenUa ) added In- 
 ventions of their own, which 
 are as apparently to be diilin- 
 guiflied, as the bold ftrokes 
 of an Apelks^ from the flia- 
 king ones of a Tyro. 
 
 ^ Having faid this, I fhall 
 firft fliew what this 'Mercury 
 is : Secondly, His Qualitiess 
 Thirdly , How thefe Three 
 Nations agree in their Defcri* 
 ptions of him , all of them 
 meaning the fame Thing un- 
 der different Veils. '^ ^iom 
 
 F 3 But 
 
70 Of Tranfmigration ; or. 
 
 But before I defcribe him, 
 k is fit to premiie this j That 
 the Ancients , who ftiidied 
 TSlatural TInlofophy , found a 
 greater Excellency in the Mi^ 
 neral Province , than in all 
 the Parts of Nature befides, 
 and therefore applied them^ 
 fclves thereto , and in their 
 Mythology , have difcovered 
 their Experiments therein. 
 
 '¥r''^^//. Mercury then is, what the 
 Chymiftscall ^r^o^f vive, and 
 the People] , Qjuck-filver ; 
 th£j .Wonder of the World, 
 dry,' and yet current ^ fluid, 
 and yet not whetting the hand, 
 an imp.erfe(ft crude Metal, 
 For his Qualities,- he is the 
 moft volatilofthe Sevcn.,(and 
 may well therefore be called 
 
 the 
 
Katural ^hilofophy. y \ 
 
 the Meflenger of the reft , 
 who are all Gods,) fufceptible 
 of any Form, yet will mix 
 with nothing, but what is of 
 his own Nature. 
 
 With the Egyptians^ he was 
 the fecond Vynajla^ accord- 
 ing to I^rcher^ Aureumq-y De- 
 urn yocabant^ {ex eo enim Sol ori^ 
 tur :) and as a Planet he was 
 fo too, according to Vojfins 
 upon ^.MatmonideSyin yE^ptio^ 
 mm Hteroglyphicis.^ Stellci Veus 
 exprimebatnr. A MeiTenger of 
 the Gods, with the Greeks ; a 
 planet , with the Chaldeans ; 
 both which call the Planets 
 Gods ; and with the Magiy 
 who underftood him, one of 
 the Seven Metals. 
 
 F 4 The 
 
y% Of Trayifymgration ; or, 
 
 Egyptian The Egyptians^to denote his 
 
 Explanati. ^^^^^^ Nature , painn him 
 
 on. , . 1 M • L • 
 
 young ; his volatUjWith wings 
 
 on his Feet and Head ; his 
 
 Caduceus that works wonders, 
 
 with tw^o Serpents feven times 
 
 twiftcd about ,• the mighty 
 
 Power he obtains, w^hen acu- 
 
 ated Jeven times ; that as the 
 
 Egyptian Serpents were wont 
 
 to deftroy,rohe then becomes 
 
 powerful in the DiiTokuion 
 
 and natural DePcruvftion of 
 
 Metals. This is that Serpent 
 
 that devoured the Compani^ 
 
 ens oi Cadmus • and who they 
 
 are, he that now knows not, 
 
 let him be ijinor. n ftill. 
 
 , , , 1 he Chaldeans , to lliew 
 
 Explanati-^ his volatil Nature, make him 
 ^^' a conftant Attendant on the 
 
 Sun J 
 
']>{atural fhilofophy. 7^ 
 
 Sun ; and to fhew his Muta- 
 bility, and fufception of di=» 
 verfe Qualities, that he is of 
 the Nature of that Planet, 
 with which he is in Conjun- 
 <flion ; Benevolent, with the 
 Benevolent; Malevolent^with 
 the Malevolent : (i. e.) joyn'd 
 with a Metal abounding with 
 an Arfenical Sulphur, he af- 
 fumes the Nature of that Me^* 
 tal, with which he is in Con- 
 junftion, and fo becomes Ar- 
 fenical ; which being a poi* 
 fonous Subftance, may well 
 enough be called Malevolent; 
 but joyned with a Metal a= 
 bounding with a pure Metal^ 
 line Sulphur, he changes and 
 puts off his Arfenical Qiiali* 
 ties before afilimed, and then 
 becomes impregnated with a 
 
 true 
 
74 ^/ Tran/mi^ration; or, 
 
 true Metalline Sulphur,which 
 for its excellency, may well 
 be called Benevolent. 
 
 The carrying this to its 
 Height, would give a great- 
 er Blow to that vain Art of 
 Judicial Ajlrology ^ than either 
 Cornelius Agrifj^a^ or any Au- 
 thor I have yet met with , 
 hath given \ and give a ratio- 
 nal account, why fomePla- 
 nqts are called Mafculine , 
 fome Feminine; fome Cho- 
 lerick , fome Phlegraatick 5 
 Saturn cold, Mars hot, 0"c. 
 
 The Grecu The Qrecians , to exprefi 
 natbnf ^^' ^^^ young and volatil Nature, 
 make him a fwift Meffenger 
 of the Gods ; call him Thief, 
 for flealing the Arrows of 
 ^4hnllo ^ whereby they fhew 
 
 his 
 
T^atural Philofophy. 75 
 
 his lufceptibility of Qualities ; 
 that joyned with So/, acuatcd 
 with the other Metals, he af- 
 fumes his &c their Virtues and 
 Qualities, &c fteals from theqnt 
 their Nature and Eflence. Fpr 
 Mercury is the iame to Metals, 
 as common Water is to. Ani- 
 mals and Plants j and as this 
 imbibes the Nature of the A- 
 nimal or Plant decoded in it, 
 (b does that, the Nature of the 
 Metal digefted with it. 
 
 Hence may be eafily un* 
 defftood what Pythagoras 
 meant, when he (ays, he re- 
 ceived the Gift from Mercury^ 
 to know the Migration of the 
 Soul, as it paft from one Bo* 
 dy to another. This is that 
 Proteus that afliimes all forms; 
 but enough of this. I am 
 
76 Of Tranf migration 5 or, 
 
 I am not infenfible, that 
 I have gone againft the Cur*" 
 rent of the Learned i^OT/;er«y, 
 the profound Vofftus^ and the 
 induftrioiis Galtrucius^ Sochar^ 
 tuSj Natalis Comes^ and the reft 
 of the College of Learning, 
 who(e Memories I reverence, 
 whofe Works I honour,who(e 
 Library ''Keeper, Iconfefs my 
 felf unworthy;yet no humane 
 Authority ought to weigh 
 more, than the Reafons they 
 give will naturally allow : 
 So that I conceive all thele 
 Learned Men have followed 
 one another , in the fame 
 Learned Tra6t of ancient 
 Error , a fufficient Warrant 
 for thofe who are fond of that 
 old Notion, Quo antiqutiis^ eh 
 'yj^nus ,• which Hypthefis will 
 
 HOC 
 
Natural Philofophy. yy 
 
 not always hold good; for 
 who knows not , that there 
 was Darknefs in this World 
 before Light ? That the An* 
 gels fell before A^^m was crea- 
 ted ? That A^am was de- 
 ceived even in Paradife, by 
 the Qrecit Impdftor ; and fince 
 that, the next Man, Cain^ was 
 both a Murtherer and a Liar ? 
 He that confiders how foon 
 Sinencred into the World,and 
 that ever fince Mankind hath 
 been belet wich Sin , Error 
 and Folly, ( of which he has 
 been very fruitful even from 
 the beginning )) that the De^ 
 vil hath advanced his King^ 
 dom to a great height ; that 
 Error is more ancient than 
 Adam^ will not be eafily per^^ 
 fuaded to believe, chat what 
 
 is 
 
OfTranfmigration ;or. 
 
 is moft ancient, is therefore 
 moft true, though gilded with 
 a fliew of Learning. Were 
 there not erroneous Tenets in 
 Chriftianity coxvous with the 
 Apoftles ? Who then can fay, 
 that the bare antiquity of an 
 Opinion is a good Argument 
 for it s Truth ? For my part, 
 I think it not fit to be the fole 
 Criterion of Matters of Fad; 
 for we are to judge, not only 
 how ancient the Hiftorian is ; 
 but how agreeable the Thing 
 delivered , is to true Rea- 
 fodi 
 
 The Fables Now the Great Men I 
 of the An- ^^^3 fpeaking of , have been 
 
 cients re- * . . *-^ 
 
 fer to exceeding induftrious to find 
 Thingsnot (^ut j-o ^h^t Perfons the Fa- 
 bles of the Poets do relate j 
 
 when 
 
]S[atural Philojophy. 7p 
 
 when in Truth, they are not 
 Hiftorical Relations of Per- 
 fons, but real and true Expe- 
 riments in Natural Philofo* 
 phy, though veil'd in Fabu- 
 lous Relations ^ to conceal 
 them from the Vulgar : One 
 Experiment whereof, will 
 give more Light, than the 
 Talk of all Mankind with^ 
 out it. The Explanation of 
 which, may do great Right, 
 I conceive , to the Ancients, 
 deliver them from Calumny, 
 and give fome greater Light 
 to the Learned World, than 
 hitherto has been done, and 
 yet fo , as not to tranfgreis 
 the great Law of ^ythagoras^ 
 or incur the Punifliraent of 
 Theopom^ipf or Theodeftes. 
 
 The 
 
8o Of TranfmigratioHy or, 
 
 The Famous Lord Ferulam 
 has made this one of the great 
 Pillars in the building up his 
 Inftauratio magna^ wherein chat 
 Great Man law , that the 
 Wifdom of the Ancients was 
 couched in thefe Myfteries: 
 Of which Opinion I find like- 
 wife SkK^enelm D/g^y.But this 
 was fit for the Learned Pen 
 of the Honourable Mr. 'Boyle^ 
 the Ornament of our Na^ 
 tion. 
 
 Ohjeakn, ■'^^^ ^o return to ^jtbdgora^; 
 Can the Belief of this Do- 
 ctrine 5 that teaches , that a 
 Spirit fet at Liberty, by the 
 DilTolution of its Body, may 
 afterwards animate another 
 Body, be an Argument for 
 any man's paying a Defe- 
 rence 
 
Natural Thilofo^by. 8 1 
 
 rence to that Creature,whom, 
 he fanfies , the Spirit of his 
 Father animates ? 
 
 He may with as much Refpor^f. 
 Reafbn honour that Field , 
 that produced his Fathers 
 Food, ( being aflimiiated in^^ 
 to his Nature, ) or adore the 
 Wind, (that continued Life 
 to him, ) as this Animal. For 
 the Senficive Spirit, after its 
 diflblutionfrom the Body, is 
 no more his Father's, than the 
 Air he expired , was a pare 
 of himfelf ; it was nothing 
 at firft, but the Ligature of 
 the Rational Soul and Body, 
 which, when they are dififolv- 
 ed, as to them, there is an 
 end of the Tie. 
 
 G No 
 
8z Of Tranfmi^ration ; or, 
 
 ohjemon. No one fure will think this 
 Opinion does invade the Do- 
 
 Refponf. <^rine of the Relurre6tion 5 
 fince there can be no need of 
 a JMedium^ where there are 
 no Extrean^ The cloathing 
 of the Blefled Spirits after this 
 Life, will doubtlefs be with 
 a Robe of Light, becaufe they 
 are always to appear before 
 the Father of Lights. Our 
 Saviour'sTransfiguration may 
 give us a glimpfeof this , but 
 where Flefh and Blood can- 
 not enter ,what need can there 
 be of a Senfitive Spirit ? 
 
 Of the I- But I think this Matter 
 
 centity of 1 • r 1 • 1 1 
 
 Form in all ^^Y ^^ carried higher than 
 Bodies. the Opinion laid down of Ty- 
 thagoras \ for this very Parti- 
 cle of Light and Heat, v^hen 
 k is free from its Body of 
 
 what- 
 
Natural fhilofophy. 8; 
 
 whatever (ore, may penetrate 
 Matter that may concrete into 
 Stone or Metal , produce a 
 Vegetable , or infinuate into 
 an Animal-Matrix , and co^ 
 operate in the Generation of 
 the Fcstu^ y for it is homoge- 
 neous with the Vital Heat in 
 all but their Specification. 'Tis 
 true J Eireruetis the Great ^ has 
 faid , There is nothing that 
 has a Seminal Virtue applica^ 
 ble to two things. But this is 
 fpoken of a Seminal Virtue la- 
 tent in Ibme Body^ not at , Li- 
 berty and free, but fpecifiqa- 
 ted and determin d. 
 
 That this Spirit isuniver- 
 fal, I need not go back to the 
 firft Abyfs and Form, to (hew 
 the Identity of Matter antd 
 Form in General, (which was 
 G % after-* 
 
84 OfTranfnugration^ or, 
 
 afterwards divided and di- 
 ftinguifh'd according to the 
 Proportion of Matter and 
 Form,) to prove the Identi- 
 ty of Spirit in all thefe Three. 
 'Tis enough here to flhew , 
 that Minerals and Plants, (not 
 to mention Animals,) being 
 Phyfick and Food for Man, 
 are, by application to him, 
 affimilated into his Nature, 
 and that only by the Power 
 of his own Specifick Spirit ; 
 which fhews them to be of 
 his own Matter and Form, or 
 (a) Aliment ic could not attract and con^ 
 
 ftoTe) mufr ^'^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ own Nature what 
 be the f^me is repugnant to it (a). But 
 potentially, j.j-j^^ there is an Homogeneity 
 which the r ^ . . • u u -ru u 
 Thing aug. ^i Spirit in all the i hree Pro* 
 
 mented, or vinces of Nature, will appear 
 13 in Ad. ^^^^^ nence (it it be true) 
 
 that 
 
Natural Thilofophy . g j 
 
 that from the Drofs of Metals 
 reduc d to Aflies, are genera- 
 ted (Beetles •, from Planes, Ca- 
 terptHers ; from Fruit, M^iggots ; 
 and from putrefied Animals, 
 Bees and Kies ; fo that an A* 
 nimal Life flows from them 
 all. And out of any Spmes 
 of every one of the Three 
 Kinds,may be drawn a Light 
 burning , and fiery Spirit ; 
 which could not be , were 
 they not homogeneous. 
 
 The great difference which 
 there feems to be between the 
 feveral parts of the Creation, 
 makes the People indeed be* 
 lieve them of contrary Na- 
 tures. Thus the Vulgar 
 can hardly think that Foun* 
 tain- Water will e/er become 
 G I Wood, 
 
86 Of Tr an f migration ^ or, 
 
 Wood, Leaves, Fruit, Bones, 
 Sinews, Blood, and all the 
 Parts of an Animal Body : 
 But a Naturalift can eaiily 
 difcern , that the Water or 
 moift Vapour, that diftolves 
 the Seed, is by the Specifick 
 Spirit of the Seed converted 
 into its own Nature , and 
 flioots up into Branches, bear- 
 ing Leaves and Fruit, whofe 
 groffer part encreafeth the Bo- 
 dy of the Tree. And fo the 
 W^ter drank by Animals , 
 becomes converted into Nou^ 
 rifliment, and is communica- 
 ted into all the Parts of the 
 Body,by which they all grow 
 and are encreafed to a deter- 
 minate Time. Thus are all 
 the Parts of the Univerfe re- 
 lated to each Other by the 
 
 common 
 
Natural ^hilojophy. gj 
 
 common Bond of the fame 
 Univerfal Spirit, which Far^ 
 menides in his famous Ideas 
 calls That one Idea^ which is 
 che Foundation of all Singu=- 
 lars ; out of which, as from 
 a Thread, the whole Web, 
 as ic w^ere, of Individuals, is 
 woven. 
 
 Now this Univerfal Spirit 
 refiding in many Particular^, 
 is the Support and Foundati* 
 on of them all ; and is, nc- 
 cording lo Zmoj^hdnes^ wholly 
 together one j though for di- 
 ftin(5tion fake, and that we 
 may better underftand one 
 another in Difcourfe, we di- 
 vide it into Three Heads, 
 which are called Kinds, and 
 into almoft infinite Species^ 
 G 4 which 
 
88 Of Trmfmgrdtm ; or, 
 
 which are the Particulars. 
 
 Thus we fee Nature, tho' 
 She is One, Pure and Sim- 
 ple , is yet beneficial to the 
 whole Creation, and conti- 
 nually fupplies the perifhing 
 Old, by the Gift, as it were, 
 of New. And thus we may 
 fee, that without God, who 
 is Nature's Governor, we can 
 do nothing even in this world. 
 
 '' O Eternal WifdomlHow 
 ^excellent are the Divine O- 
 ^ perations ! How manifold 
 ^ the divine Goodnefs ! whofe 
 ^ Wifdom, Power and Love 
 • are no lefs evident in the 
 ' Confervation^than the Cre- 
 ■ ation of the World ! If the 
 *^ Divine Mind fliould check 
 
 " Na^ 
 
'i^atural fhilofophy. 89 
 
 ^' Nature a few moments , 
 '^ this delicate Machine would 
 ^' be without Spirit^the world 
 *^ would be benumb'd with 
 ^' an eternal Cold and Dark- 
 '^ nefs , and an everlafting 
 ^^ Deathman things would run 
 '^ back into their firft Mafs, 
 "Chaos 5 and dark Abyfs, 
 " never to be renewed, with* 
 " out that Spirit that firft ba- 
 " niflied Darknefs, by fepa- 
 " rating the Waters, and en- 
 -^ kindling in their moft refi- 
 '^ ned Parts ( advanced to 
 " the Region above) a Spirit 
 ^^ of Light, 
 
 '^ To the Eternal therefore 
 "be infinite Prailes by the 
 " pure Spirits of Men and An- 
 '' gels. 
 
 He 
 
po OfTranfmigration jor^ 
 
 A compari- He that thinks I do a di{ho«» 
 
 Fo"rm^?A. "^"^^ to Animals, in fuppo- 
 niraals , fing, that that Spirit that ani- 
 Plants and ^1^^^ J ^ mean Vegetable, or 
 
 a fluggifli Metal, on its leav 
 ing thefe Bodies, fliould give 
 Life and Motion to an Animal 
 Being, will eafily fee his Mi- 
 ftake, when he confiJers that 
 thofe Things are always e* 
 fteemed moft Excellent and 
 Noble that are of longeft du^ 
 ration. Now we fee, that 
 many Vegetables , and all 
 Things of a Metallick Com* 
 pofition, do exceed AnimaUin 
 duration of Time. Befides, 
 all Things receive a value 
 from their Ufefulnefs ; now, 
 though divers Beads and 
 Birds are very ufeful both for 
 Food and Pleafure, yet none 
 
 of 
 
TSlatural Philojophy. 9-1 
 
 of them are fupporccd with* 
 out Vegetables ; nor can any 
 Man plow, or go to Sea^with^^ 
 out Metals. But this is 
 
 Ipeaking rather like a Mer- 
 chant than Naturaliftj there- 
 fore I fliall wave it. 
 
 That Spirit (eems to me to Of the Ex- 
 be moft Noble, that ^^^ ^o'^l'^'J^[^ 
 digefted the Paflive Matter , Metals. 
 which contains it^as to be able 
 CO defend it againft all the af- 
 fauhs of the Elements ,• and 
 on the Other fide, that Spirit 
 feems to be moft weak and 
 unadlive, that fuffers its Body 
 to be fooneft diflblved on 
 their Intention. Now Ve* 
 getables and Animals do both 
 perifli in the Flames j but Me= 
 tals do not : So that the 
 
 Strength 
 
9 2 Of Tranfmigratiou ; or. 
 
 Strength and Virtue they en«» 
 joy vifible to every Eye, gives 
 them juftly the Precedence. 
 But could their Bodies be dil* 
 folved , and their Spirits let 
 loofe, as we lee in Vegetable 
 Seeds, then their Excellency 
 would be very manifeft. He 
 
 %^^\Ugbt ^^^^ ^^' ^^^^ ^^^ perpetual 
 made out Light to which they have 
 
 of them , j^g^j^ advanced by Diffolution, 
 and of Its . , , ^ . , ' 
 
 great diffi- does know what place they 
 
 culty. merit in this Life; wherein 
 
 were the operation as eafie, as 
 
 the Reafon is evident^no inge^ 
 
 nious Man would be without 
 
 it. For my part I own my 
 
 felf herein, only Un Croyant ; 
 
 yet he that is not able to draw 
 
 a Bowr 5 may yet give Aim. 
 
 Wherefore, to this,! conceive, 
 
 there is need of an homoge^ 
 
 neous 
 
ISlatural Philofophy. 9^ 
 
 neous Agent, defecated from 
 all Impurity , and impreg- 
 nated with a Metalline Sul- 
 phur, the former found in 
 theHoufe of Qemini, {a) thc^y]JJ^J' 
 latter in that oi Aries ^ by the thofe onljr, 
 
 benign Influences of Libra and ^^J^ ^^ "^^ 
 
 y ^ . underftand 
 
 jicjuanws, it. 
 
 But let none but the Happy 
 pretend to this. He that can 
 retire, and enjoy the Freedom 
 of Horace his Countryman ; 
 
 Meatus ilk ^ quiproculnegotiis^ 
 
 Ut prifcagens mortaltum^ 
 Paterna rura bohm exercetfuiSj 
 
 Solum omnif(£nore^ 8cc. 
 
 *^ Happy the Man from toii^ 
 '' fome cares fet free, 
 *' Who does regain Man s 
 l^ ancient Liberty, 
 
^4 0/ Tran/migration; or. 
 
 " Ploughing his Ground wicb 
 '' Oxen of his own, 
 ^- By Parents left ; s free 
 ""^ from Uiurious Loan. 
 
 To this Freedom of 
 Thought, there is neceffary 
 a Knowledge of all Nature, 
 a plentiful Fortune,and above 
 all , a wife and a Learned 
 Friend. Qiii fuhllcls Honoris 
 hm i^ Mtiner'ihm fmguntur^ 4ut 
 et'um priyatis ir necejfarus Oc^ 
 cupatmihm jugiter mcumhunt^ ad 
 fummmi hujn^ PhilofophU Cuhnm 
 ne contendant : Totum enim Ho- 
 minem ilia defiderat , IWVmtum 
 pojfedet^ fojfeljum ab omni fmo 
 <sr higo negot'to vend'icat^ cetera 
 QWiia dlmarefutms <sr flocci fa- 
 ciens. *' They who are fa- 
 " tigued with Publick Ho^ 
 
 '^ flours 
 
t^atiiral Philofophy. p^ 
 
 nours and Employments , 
 or have continual Avocati* 
 ons of private & domeftick 
 Affairs, let them not pre- 
 tend to the Heights of this 
 Philofophy ; for fiie re- 
 quires the whole Mind ; 
 which obtained, (he keeps, 
 and retains him from all te* 
 dious Bufinefs ; teaching 
 him to flight all Things elfe 
 as Trifles. 
 
 This is an Eternal Bar to 
 
 fuch as my felf, who am 
 
 bow'd down to an Employ* 
 
 ment of daily Attendance , 
 
 Me SMifermi ! 
 
 Well may the Qualificati- 
 ons above be thought nece(* 
 fary , fince befidcs the Fine- 
 
 nels 
 
96 0/ Tranfmigration-y or, 
 
 nefs and Acucenefs of Mind, 
 there is required Herculean La^ 
 bour. 
 
 Now Virlhus ullis 
 
 Vtncere^ nee duro poteris conVet- 
 
 ( lere ferro. 
 
 ^' This to attain, no Steel has 
 
 " any Force, 
 " Nor French Dragoons, nor 
 M^flionary Horfe. 
 
 4C 
 
 For 'tis fo difficult, that Ho- 
 mer tells us, i!Mars being irti" 
 prifoned by Neptune s Son , 
 Thirteen Months in a Dun- 
 geon, could fcarce be fee free 
 by Juno's help, though aflift- 
 ed by Hermes himfelf. The 
 meaning whereof, when I 
 have toid you, that U^^rs is 
 
 the 
 
TS{atural Thilofopby. 97 
 
 the Son of Ju7io^ and (lie the 
 Metallick Nature, is too ob- 
 vious to need an Explanation^ 
 for a Surcharge is nauleous to 
 the Mind of an Ingenious 
 Man. 
 
 Now to remove all Obje- 
 ctions to the Foundation of 
 this Opinion of ^jtha^oras , 
 and what is fuperadded : ItObjea, i.' 
 may be asked , How doth ic 
 appear that the Heavenly Bo- 
 dies beflow an Influence, or 
 Univerfal Spirit on the Earth ? 
 Why may not the Earth ito^;/-. • 
 lelt be impregnated ah tntt\o 
 with Seed enough ^to hold out 
 for all Spates to the end of the 
 World ? 
 
 H That 
 
p8 Of Tranfmigration ; or, 
 
 Refponf. That the Heavenly Bodies 
 move and tranfmic Heat, we 
 Both fee and feel : Nay,this 
 Heat beyond the Tropicks, is 
 fo intenfe and powerful^ that 
 with us colled:ed by a con- 
 cave Glais, it will melt Sil- 
 ver, and that in a more extra* 
 ordinary manner than a Cu- 
 linary Fire is able to perform. 
 Whence SMechmgus affirms , 
 that there is no artificial Fire 
 able to give fuch a heat, as 
 that which comes down from 
 Heaven. We fee Infedls, a 
 fort of Animals , in a few 
 days are generated by it in 
 wareridi places. Thole that 
 pafs for Animals, as Frogs, 
 Toads, and even Micc,whofe 
 Generation is ^equivocal, are 
 fo produced3by means where* 
 
 of, 
 
Katural <pkiIofophy. 99 
 
 of, we perceive that Vegeta- 
 bles grow and increafe. 
 
 Tim^us the Locrian , faith. 
 That God fcatters Souls, (i.e.) 
 Forms, fome in the Moon, 
 others in other Planets and 
 Scars, whence they are inftil* 
 led into Creatures. To which 
 Ariftotle agrees,when he faith. 
 That the Univerfal Efficient 
 Caule of all things, is the 
 Sun and the other Stars, and 
 that their Accefs and Re- 
 cq9^ are the Caufes of Gene* 
 ration and Corruption. If fo, j^rijlotie 
 w^hac need is there of an Ele- held, c^at 
 mem of Fire, above the Re. ^^t--;^ 
 gion or the Air? But, I of Fire, a- 
 conceive, 'twas placed there !P^^^ ^^^ 
 for Order's fake only. the°Air. 
 
 H % Now 
 
loo Of TranjmigraUon^ or, 
 
 OftheUni- Now this Virtue that is 
 verfaispi. f^j^jft^.j^i to fuch Variety of 
 
 things 5 muft be in its own 
 Nature General and Catho* 
 lick, or it could not be fub- 
 lervient to fo many feveral 
 different Individuals. The 
 Specification of it, naturally 
 proceeds from the Parti- 
 culars. We fee a little Salt 
 feafons a great Lump, and a 
 vScion tranfmutes the whole 
 Juice of the Tree into its own 
 Nature. Wherein we may 
 obferve a twofold Change : 
 Firft) Of the general Moifture 
 into an Identity of that of the 
 Tree : Secondly , A new 
 Specification of it, by itspal^' 
 fing into the Scion. Nay , 
 fuch is the virtue of Fermen« 
 ration, that you may inocu- 
 late 
 
Natural ^hilofo^hy. \ o i 
 
 lace Scion upon Scion, after a 
 little Growth ; and whatever 
 becomes of Trwinlmutation in 
 the Mineral , we daily lee it 
 various ways in the Vegeta- 
 ble Province, fo that degree, 
 that in many Trees you may 
 ingraft and inoculate out of 
 Jpecies^zs Cherries on a Laurel, 
 Pears on a Hawchorn^Tree ; 
 nor is it otherwife in the Ani- 
 mal, of which no man's Ex- 
 perience is without fome In^^ 
 ftances. 
 
 Fermentation , Hiith the in- 
 coaiparable Eiren^ns the (jreat^ 
 is the Wonder of the World ; by it 
 Water becomes Herbs , Trees , 
 <PWi, Fruity Flejh , &ood^ 
 Stones , JMinerals , a^id eVery 
 Thing. This Epicurm calls 
 H 3 the 
 
I o 2 0/ Tranlmlgration \ or, 
 
 the attracting and intangling 
 adaptable Atoms , by their 
 Fellow-Atoms ; by which 
 they grow up into the fame 
 Nature ^ of which hereaf- 
 ter. 
 
 Refponf.i. As for the latter part of 
 the Objedion , touching the 
 Earth's having Seed enough 
 in it felf, and therefore needs 
 not borrow of the Heavens : 
 What I faid already to the 
 firft part of the Queftion, may 
 be a fufficient Anfwer, But 
 to proceed. 
 
 That the Earth is barren & 
 fluggiflijdead and pa (five^we 
 may eafily fee^by confidering 
 how unfruitful all places 
 are that are furrounded with 
 
 Build- 
 
Natural Thilojophy. i o; 
 
 Buildings. For if the Earth 
 had Seed enough in it lelf^flie 
 might be as fertil in a City- 
 Garden, as in a Country. Buc 
 it is plain, that the want of a 
 free acccfs of the Air, where* 
 by an Univerfal Spirit, or ani** 
 mating Heat is conveyed, is 
 the only Caufe of Sterility. 
 
 Why do your Country- 
 men, after fome years plow^ 
 ing, leave the Ground faU 
 low ? Is there not Seed or 
 Virtue enough in the Earth 
 to hold out ? If there is not , 
 whence does fhe receive it ? 
 It muft proceed either inter- 
 nally from the Centre, or ex* 
 ternally from the Heavens : 
 if from her own Centre, why 
 does flie wait the accelfion of 
 H 4 the 
 
I 04 of Tranfmigration ; or, 
 
 the Sun, to call forth her Ve- 
 getables ? And why, where 
 his Influences are interrupted, 
 is (he barren ? 
 
 Objedt. B^|. j^^y j^Q|. |.{^e Earth 
 
 have a Feminine Sperm in it, 
 and may not this \ital Heat, 
 be as a Mafculine Principle, 
 that may only excite, and 
 brina this dormant Seed from 
 Potency into Aft, to which 
 Opinion Xenocrates leems to 
 
 Refp/ be inclined ? If the Earth 
 were filled with fuch an ima- 
 ginary Seed , whenever the 
 Sun approaches with his en- 
 livening Beams , furely all 
 thefe Seeds would quickly 
 appear to fight ; what then 
 / fhouid the Earth do for the 
 
 next year's Vegetables ? The 
 
 Pro« 
 
'JS^atural Th'dofophy. i o 5 
 
 Propagation of them only by 
 their letting fall a Seed, and 
 by that means another coming 
 in its place, is weak and frivo- 
 lous ; for though this in ma- 
 ny places often happens, yec 
 Experience ilievvs us, that tho' 
 Weeds are grubb d up before 
 they run to feed, yet the fame, 
 or others, foon grow up in 
 rheir ftead ; And whence 
 fiiould this happen ? Who 
 a;e the Conferyators of the 
 feeds of Weeds , and noxi- 
 ous plants ? Noxious,only be«» 
 caufe their ufe is not known. 
 What Enemy comes in the 
 night and fows them? And 
 where are their Store^houfes ? 
 
 But may not the Birds in Objed, 
 the Air let fall feed, and fo it 
 may grovy ? This Objedion 
 
 can 
 
cc 
 
 I o 6 Of Tranfmtgration ; or, 
 
 can admit no Refblucion but 
 Refp. this : Take Earth, defend it 
 as you pleafe , fo it has 
 fome acceG of Air, and you 
 will find an Herb of fome 
 fort or other arife. " It is 
 therefore moft evident,that 
 by the Heavenly Bodies, or 
 " from them, a germinating 
 ^^ Virtue is emitted ; that this 
 *^ Virtue is univerfal, convey- 
 " ed by the SMeiium of Air, 
 ^^ filling all Places, and pro- 
 " ducing divers Effeils , ac- 
 " cording to the plenty of 
 ^^ Spirit , and difference of 
 *^ Place ; That this Spirit, on 
 *^ the diflblution of its Body, 
 ^' is not annihilated , but gets 
 ^^ loofe, becomes aftive and 
 ^Wigorous, and impregnates 
 J^ new Matter, whofe Nature 
 
 > 
 
lS[atural Philojophy. i 07 
 
 i ■ ■ — 
 
 ' is varied , according to the 
 
 '^ diverficy of Place; asWa- 
 
 '^ ter mixing with fait things, 
 
 " becomes faline ; and wich 
 
 ^' Acids, fliarp. 
 
 Now, this to me, is fo far That Bo- 
 from being a wonder, that I f^Xnged', 
 iliould admire if it were o* not annihi- 
 therwife •, fince Bodies, that^^^^^* 
 are but the Caie of Spirits, 
 are not annihilated , when 
 their Spirits leave them, but 
 lofe only their external Fi- 
 gure and Shape i for if Bo- 
 dies on their refolution, were 
 annihilated , the World in 
 time would be reduc d to no- 
 thing. 
 
 For the World confiding 
 of Parts, and thofe Parts of 
 
 Bo- 
 
1 o8 Of Tranf migration ; or. 
 
 Bodies, as Bodies are annihi- 
 lated, fo are the Pares ; and 
 the Parts being daily fubftra- 
 6tcd,this Machine would fall 
 to pieceSjOr rather to nothing. 
 But as in Generation, faith 
 Epicurus , there is no new 
 fubftance made, but pre-ex^ 
 iftent fubftances are made up 
 into one,which acquire new 
 Qualities ; fo in Corruption, 
 no fubftance ablolutely ceaf- 
 eth to be, but is diffipated 
 into more fubftances, which 
 remain after the deftruftion 
 of the former. 
 
 So that though Bodies Ve- 
 folve into Duft, yet this Duft 
 remains ftill,and being quick* 
 ned by a fSolar Heat, fhoots 
 forth into fome Plant i and 
 
 this 
 
ISlatural Philofophy. 109 
 
 this Plane becoming Food to 
 Man or Beall, and Beaft to 
 Man, is affimilated into the 
 Nature of the Eater, and be^ 
 comes pare of himfelf. Hence 
 Hermes^ and the reft of the 
 Philofophers affirm, that no- 
 thing properly dies ; but all 
 things pafs, and are changed 
 into fomething elle {a)' Sofa) Innihi^ 
 that if one would urge it, he ^'"'' '^^'^ M' 
 might prove this w^LysiTrauJ^ 
 migration of Bodies, as well as 
 Spirits; fince the Bodies of 
 the Dead become Food to the 
 Living afcer a little Circula- 
 tion of Time, paifing through 
 a few Mediums^ and that Food 
 becomes part of him that 
 eats it- 
 
 This 
 
1 1 o of Trcmfmigraiion-y or, 
 
 This the Egyptians hinted 
 by the Hierogly^hick of a Snake 
 painted in a circular form^ the 
 Head fwallowing up the 
 Tail : Of which, Claudian. 
 
 Serpens 
 
 Perpetuumq; Vtretfquamis^ can- 
 
 damq-y rcduElo 
 Ore Vorat. tacito relemis exordia 
 
 lapfu. 
 
 ^ Pjthn his Scales renevvs^and 
 
 ""on the Ground 
 ' With Tail in Mouth he lies, 
 
 ' in Circle round. 
 
 Thus Tythagoras might lay 
 he was EuphorbuSy who lived 
 many years before him, be- 
 caule of the Poflibility both 
 in refped to the Identity in 
 
 fome 
 
lS{atiiral Philofophy. Ill 
 
 ^ome fort of his Body ( for we 
 were once upon our Plates, ) 
 and his animation by the fame 
 fenfitive Spirit , being of a 
 Temper and Difpofition very 
 like him. Thus for fimili- 
 tude of Spirit, Jobt the!BaptiJl 
 is called Elias. 
 
 But now for Plato's Opini* The Moral 
 
 on, and the reft of the Pyiha-^^^^^^^- 
 
 , , , 1 -^1 migration. 
 
 goreans^ who held, or rather 
 
 feemed to hold, That by in» 
 
 dulging to Senfe, the Souls of 
 
 Men pafs'd firft into Women ,• 
 
 then, if they continued vici** 
 
 ous , into Brutes, <src. This 
 
 Degeneracy , if he had con=» 
 
 fin'd to the fame Body,would 
 
 have had as much Realbn and 
 
 Truth of its fide, as the other 
 
 hath of Prettinefs and Fancy : 
 
 For 
 
112 Of Tran/mipatiori; or, 
 
 For Experience fliews us, tha^ 
 many Men, by fofc and ren- 
 der Habits, grow weak and 
 effeminate ; and by degrees 
 flide into an Indulgence of 
 all Brutal PaiTions. Now ic 
 is more than probable, that 
 there was no more intended 
 by this lort of Expreffion,than 
 to (hew Mankind to what a 
 low Ebb Humane Nature 
 might defcend,to what a Bru^ 
 tal Sordidnefs Man might fink 
 that wallow'd in feniual Plea-^ 
 lures. 
 
 And what is the natural 
 Conlequence of this ? That 
 Men therefore to avoid thrs 
 Evil, fliould adorn and culti- 
 vate their Minds with ufeful 
 Knowledge, and exert Life 
 
 in 
 
l>latural finlofophy. i i j 
 
 in Praci^ical Vertues; This 
 was the Dellgn both of Mo* 
 ral and Natural Philofophy ; 
 and this y^/op^ who flouriOi- 
 ed about an hundred years 
 before l^/.tro, inculcated by his 
 ingenious Fables,- amongft: 
 which, had this ot Plato s been 
 inferted, the Moral had beea 
 obvious to every llnderftand«' 
 ing. 
 
 This is no new Interpreta- 
 tion; for Ttmms long ago 
 commended the lonick ^oet^ 
 for making Men religious by 
 ancient Fabulous Stories/ For; 
 ^ (aid he> as we cure Bodies 
 « with things unw^holforne , 
 * when the wholelbme agree 
 <noL with them; fo we re- 
 « ftrain Souls with Fabulous 
 I ' Ki- 
 
i: 1 4 0/ Tranfmigratm ; or, 
 
 Relations, when they will 
 not be led by the True, Let 
 them then ( continues he ) 
 fince there is a necellity for 
 it, talk of thefe ftrange Pu- 
 nifliments , as iF Souls did 
 tranfmigrate ; the EflFemi^ 
 nate into the Bodies of Wo- 
 men, given up to Ignominy ; 
 of Murtherers, into thofe of 
 Beafts, for Punifhment ; of 
 the Lalciviousjinto the forms 
 of Swine ; of the Light and 
 Temerarious, 'into Birds 5 
 ofthe Slothful and Idle, Un» 
 learned and Ignorant , into 
 feveral kinds of Fifhesw 
 
 Thus we fee how Tythag^^- 
 r^ has been mifs-repre(ented, 
 and what was made uie of 
 only as the kflf Remedy to re« 
 
 flrain 
 
TSiatural ^Inlofophy. \ t j 
 
 ftrain Men from Vice ,• and 
 was, what we call Mgurhen- 
 turn ad Hominemy is now, fot 
 want of Underftanding in hrs 
 Cenfurers, return'd upon him 
 with great Reproach. 
 
 &ut did not ^ythdgon^ ab*'- 
 ftain from Flefh-Meat , for 
 fear of eating his Parents, ac** 
 cording to the grofs Notion 
 of Tranfmigration ? Mbffi 
 certainly not \ ioxJamhUcm in 
 the Life of Pythagoras ^ tells 
 us, That he being the Difci^ 
 pie of Thales^ one of the chier 
 Things Tl:>alps adviled him ^ 
 was , to husband his Time 
 well I upon which account , 
 he abftained frorn Wine and 
 Ileflh 5 only eating fuch things 
 as were light of Digeftioc^ :. 
 I 2 by 
 
\\6 Of Tranfmigration-y or. 
 
 by which means, he proeu^ 
 red ftiorcnefs of Sleep, Wake^* 
 fulnefs, Purity of Mind, and 
 conftant Health of Body- 
 
 Tranfmi- 
 gration in 
 
 But what if Tranfmigra- 
 piants and tion may be made evident to 
 SSra- Senfein Plants and Minerals ? 
 ble to fenfe. That it may be in Plants,eve^ 
 ry ordinary Chymifl knows : 
 For by the extracfting the Spi* 
 rit or Soul of a Vegetable in 
 the form of Oil, and by the 
 cohobation of it on the calci^ 
 ned Salt of a different Plant^ 
 they will impregnatethatSak 
 with a new Life and Spirit, 
 and give it new Virtue, Smell 
 and lafle. Thus they draw 
 forth a Spirit from one Plant, 
 and infule it into the Body of 
 another. And thus Van Suchten^ 
 
 and 
 
Natural fhilofo^hy. \ i y 
 
 and the acuter fore of Chy- 
 miftsjtell us may be done with 
 Metals, 
 
 But what need we fly to 
 Laborious Art for the proof 
 of this ? Does not fagaci* 
 ous Nature afford Inftances 
 enough of this fort in divers 
 Places, witnefs the petrefying 
 Baths at ^uda^ Olajlntten and 
 Etjenhach in Hungary^ that turn 
 Wood and Iron into Stone ; 
 and the Venereal Mine at 
 Hern*grmut near New/o/, where, 
 by leaving Iron in the Vitrio- 
 late Water for Fourteen Days, 
 it is tranfmuted into excellent 
 Copper , better , and more 
 dudil than the Natural. But 
 enough of this. 
 
 I 3 I have 
 
j.i;8 Oj U^uralfhtlojophy. 
 
 I have done with Tythago- 
 raSy and ill all touch now on 
 Four Things. 
 
 J . I flhall fpeak fomewhac 
 to the duration of Bodies. 
 
 2. Examine fome Princi- 
 ples and Elements generally 
 received. 
 
 1 . Compare fome Jriftote^ 
 Im Hy^othefes with thofe of 
 J)€niocrUus. 
 
 4. Having already file wn, 
 hmv variety of Plants and 
 Metals are now g.enerated in 
 thie Earth, from the Diverficy 
 of Salts, (27 c. I will endeavour 
 to fhew hovv the Earth comes 
 ' to 
 
TSLaturd ^hilojophy. 149 
 
 fto be filled with fuch variety 
 of Bodies , abounding with 
 ^different Qualities. 
 
 Firft, As to the Duration of the dn. 
 of Bodies. Bodies, after the ^a^'o" ^f 
 lenficive Spirit has lefc them, 
 and before their refolution in- 
 to Duft, have a Ibrt of Ve* 
 getable Life remaining in 
 them ; ^as appears by the 
 growth of Hair and Nails , 
 that may be perceived in dead 
 Bodies ^ and a weak Animal 
 one that lurks in tlie Moi* 
 fture ; whence in Putrefadti^ 
 on, Worms and divers forts 
 of Infe^a^maybe generated, 
 who dying , others of ano- 
 ther fort arife. 
 
 1 4 If 
 
.12 Oj Natural Plnlofo^hy 
 
 If therefore Bodies obtain 
 this fort of Immorcah'cy ( not 
 to fpeak of the Refurrdion 
 of the Body in a Philofophi=» 
 cal Difcourfe,) why fliould 
 it be denied to the Spirit , 
 which hath a much greater 
 Right to it, by the pure and 
 incorrupt lafting Nature of its 
 Edence ? 
 
 But I fhall advance the Na^* 
 ture of Bodies to a much more 
 iinmixt arid pure Immortali* 
 ty : For the Radical Moifture 
 of Bodies , that lies in the 
 Bones, may juflly challenge 
 a Right ( as things now are ) 
 to an eternal duration. For 
 not to mention Bones that arc 
 found entire after a Thoufand 
 Years Burial, nor the Bodies 
 
 of 
 
of l>{atural fhilofophy. \ 1 1 
 
 of Egyptian JMummies^ prererv*= 
 ed whole for feveral Thou- 
 fand Years ; there is in the 
 Bones a Radical Moifture , 
 that is fix'd and permanent , 
 and is fo far from giving way, 
 or fuffering lofs by that Ele- 
 ment that is the Deftroyerof 
 mix'd Bodies, that it is the 
 Veffel made u(e of to purge 
 the fix'd Metals in the Fire, 
 and remains unhurt when the 
 volatil Metals fly away ^ (b 
 that none of the Elements 
 can de%oy it,no not the moft 
 torrid Vulcan. 
 
 Now for mix d Bodies ; 
 Fire indeed may feparate the 
 Parts of a mix'd Bod y^ change 
 the Figure , and fo alter its 
 Appearance , as to puzzle 
 
 the 
 
Ill 
 
 of Natural ^Imfophy. 
 
 the beft Mechanick to reduce 
 it to its primitive ftate,- yet 
 ihis is no Annihilation, but 
 Pivifion. The burning of 
 Wood or ^ny Fael, is zDe- 
 ftruiStion of it, I coafefs, as to 
 the Proprietor ,• but not with 
 rt(ped: to the Univerfe , no 
 Hfiore than there is lefs Money 
 in the World by the Profule- 
 nefs of a Prodigal ; as the one 
 doth but change Hands, {6 
 the other alters only the fitua- 
 tion of its Parts. 
 
 The Watery or Mercurial 
 Part of the Wood pafleth a- 
 way in Sraoak, the Oily or 
 Sulphurous in Flame, and the 
 Body of Salt refts in the A flies. 
 The Air preferves the two 
 former, and the Earth retains 
 
 the 
 
of ISlaturd PhHoJopl^y. i 2 1 
 
 the latter 5 each part r^eturns 
 to its native Country. What 
 then can deftroy this Body, 
 except the Firft Caufcy { am 
 yet to learn : For jthough 
 Boae-A{}ies , by reafon of 
 Moifture, may flow and be- 
 come Glafs, the ultimate end 
 and ufe of them; yet fo glo- 
 rious a lightfome body as 
 that of Glafs, is rather an ex- 
 altation of its Effcnce, than 
 diminution of its Excellency ; 
 nor does it give any termina- 
 tion to its Being, but only a 
 change to its Figure. If Cu- 
 linary Fire deftroys the Parts 
 of the Univerfe, in time it 
 may the whole. But this is 
 inconfiftent \vith the Wifdom 
 of its Maker, to create Prin* 
 cipLes deftrui^ive of one ano- 
 thj^r. The 
 
124 Of T^^'^y^^ Thilojophy. 
 
 Ofthege- The Light of Nature, as 
 flagration. ^^^l 2,s Experience taught 
 ^kto^ that the World was not 
 deftroyable by any other 
 Caufe, but by the fame God, 
 who compoled it \ which the 
 Eternal can eafily do by Fire, 
 according as Things now ap- 
 pear, without the Light of 
 Holy Writ : Which makes 
 me wonder, that Ariftotle^ Ze- 
 wo]7/?4ne5, and other Great Men 
 did not Ice this ; but thought 
 the World of neceflity as E* 
 ternal as God; for though 
 the Heat of the Sun is now 
 tolerable between the Tro- 
 picks, yet he that confiders 
 its being a little multiplied by 
 a concave Glafs, even in our 
 Meridian , ( though its Rays 
 pais through a v>aft Region of 
 
 Wa« 
 
of Natural Philofophy. 125 
 
 Water rarefied, ) if refle^fted 
 on a Man for fome time, ic 
 will fcorch and deftroy him, 
 when the volatil Waters chac 
 allay his Heat, become fixed, 
 ( which the People think now 
 are, and a Philofopher knows 
 may eafily be, ) then the Sun 
 having no Cloud to obftrudt 
 his Light, nor any Water to 
 cool the fcorching Heat of his 
 Rays , will neceflarily burn 
 up and calcine the Earth. 
 
 Thus the very Elements 
 would deftroy us, did not the 
 Eternal , by his Providence , 
 defend us from the Heat, by 
 the interpoficion of the Wa* 
 ters, and from the Chilnefs 
 of the Waters, by impregna- 
 dng them with a Solar Hear, 
 
 iphoje 
 
V*6 Of Natural Philofophy. 
 
 ^$hofe inyiftble congealed Spirit^ 
 ( faicb om of the Learned 
 JMagi} is more yaluable than 
 the l^hok Earth. Clement'if- 
 
 firn'o itaq-y infinite fint Laudes. 
 
 2. OfPrin- Se<:on<ily, As to Principles 
 
 ciples and ..i t-i i • ^ i 
 
 Elcmeots. ^^^' ^.l^ixiencs : being to ipeak 
 of thefe, it will rtot be amifs 
 to enquire, how and when 
 chefe came into the World. 
 The Study of l>{atHral Philojo* 
 phy was as early in the world, 
 as Men came to call upon 
 God : For whatever Appear- 
 ai^ees Gc^d' made to the J^tUe- 
 dduVian^^v^YiWchSy a;nd by that 
 means commuhi'cated his Di* 
 VineWill and Nature ro them^ 
 y^et \Vc cannot fup^ofe that 
 rive World^ in general had any 
 other Light of the Divine 
 
 Glory 
 
OflSlatHrd Philofi^hy. \tj 
 
 Glory and Maje(ly,than whac 
 came to them by Tradition, 
 and the Contemplation of the 
 leveral Parts of theUniverfe; 
 for God is known by his 
 Works; rhey are the Wit^ 
 nelfes of his Wifdom, Power, 
 and Goodne fs. The Know 
 ledge of thefe Works, comes 
 not to Mankind (at leaft ge- 
 nerally ) by Infpiration, but 
 by exerting our Faculties* 
 
 And as for Tradition, that- 
 is apt to make but a weak im- 
 preflfion on thinking Men, un- 
 lefsit is back'd with Reafon* 
 
 But befides, though the 
 Creation of the World was 
 a Tradition, and the manner 
 out of Qyaos'y yet to give an 
 
 account 
 
12 8 Oj Natural Philofophy. 
 
 account of the Th^nomerm of 
 Things, and the manner now- 
 of Nature's ProdudionSjCould 
 not be a Tradicion. This 
 was left to Man, as the pro- 
 per exercife of his Rational 
 Powers, that by improving, 
 and advancing his Thoughts, 
 he might come to have a 
 clearer Light and Knowledge 
 of God , and confequently , 
 love him the more incenfely ; 
 for it is almoft impoffible to 
 have a true knowledge of 
 God, and not to be inflamed 
 With Love of him, fuch is 
 the Purity and Perfeftion of 
 the Divine Nature. 
 
 When Men therefore be- 
 gan to contemplate the works 
 of God, they found all the 
 
 Parts 
 
Of TSlatural fhilofopby. \ 29 
 
 Parts of Nature reduceable 
 to two Heads or Principles ; 
 an Active, Vital or Formal 
 one, and a Paffive or Mate- 
 rial. 
 
 This I conceive JMofes in- 
 tended, when he tells us that 
 in the Beginning God created 
 the Heaven and the Earth : 
 which things are exprefled in 
 the very lame words by the 
 ChaldeanSy Jjfyriam^2.nd ^reeks^ 
 as 1 have hinted before. 
 
 Hoales^ who was one of the 
 firft amongft the Grecians^ as, 
 Lctertius , Straho , Cicero , and 
 Plutarch affirm, that made en- 
 quiry inco Natural Caufes , 
 conceived Water to be the 
 Material Principle of all liv- 
 K ing. 
 
iTo^ of Natural Thilofophy. " 
 
 ing Creatures ; becaufe all 
 Seed is humid, and Plants and 
 Animals are nourifli'd by it. 
 This he had from a more an^ 
 cient Nation^the fho^nicwis^hy 
 whom Orpheus was likewiie 
 inftruded. 
 
 To this-Matcrial Principle, 
 Aiaxagorcvs is faid to be the 
 firft that added (nS^ the Mind^ 
 by which , I conceive , he 
 aieanc the Formal. Hence 
 Virgil calls the Univerial JForm 
 the Mind. 
 
 — Totam^'y infufa per artus 
 
 Mens agitat mokm , 6^ magnofe 
 ( corpore mifcet. 
 
 I A Mind infus'd through this 
 
 C ' Wodrld's every part, 
 
 'Does 
 
of Natural ^hilofophy. \ :} i 
 
 ' Does move the vvhole Ma* 
 (^chine wichlvondrous An. 
 
 But Homer and Hefiod both 
 gave an account ofthele two* 
 Principles long before. 
 
 Various afterwards were 
 the Opinions of the Philoib- 
 phers about Principles. Pbe^ 
 recydes the Jjfyrian , aflerted 
 Earth to be the Principle of all 
 things 'y Aiaximenes^ Air ; Hip- 
 pafuSy Fire j XenophamyB.2LXth 
 and Water ; ^armenidesy Fire 
 and Earth ; Enopides^ Fire and 
 Air J Demerits^ andEpkurhS^ 
 Atoms ; Empedocksy ^lato and 
 Jri/lotky Sec. to thpfe Princi- 
 ples added four Elements,be- 
 ing the vifible Matter^as they 
 conceived, of which all Bo- 
 K % dies 
 
I 31 Of Natural fhilofophy. 
 
 dies did fubfift : And this the 
 School-men, foUovvina them, 
 have hitherto maintained^and 
 it is now the Doftrine of the ] 
 World. 
 
 Of the 3 The Chymifts hold Three 
 
 mifts. Principles and Elements I 
 now intend to examino : And 
 firi% for the Three Principles. 
 
 Principles, I know it is no lefs a crime 
 than Herefie, in the Commu- 
 nion of Chymifts , to deny 
 any of their three beloved 
 Principles, their 5^/^, Sulphury 
 and Sliercury ; but being not 
 of their Church, \ need not 
 fear their Cenfure. I do ad** 
 mit Salt in fome fence, to be 
 one of their Principles; but 
 
 I do 
 
Of Natural Thilofophy, i ^ 
 
 I do deny Sulphur and S^ercu- 
 ry to be feveral ; for their beft 
 Authors affirm SMercury to be 
 only crude Sulphur^ and Sul- 
 phur ripe cMercury \ they dif- 
 fer therefore not in fpecie , 
 but in degree ot Digeftion. 
 The Ancients ( faith EireniC- 
 us the Qreat) thought them 
 all one; and though Tara^ 
 celfws has invented a Liquor, 
 by means whereof^he taught 
 the way of feparating the 
 Sulphur in the form of a 
 tindled Metallick Oil; yet I 
 conceive this is nothing but 
 an extraction of the riper, 
 arid more digefted part of 
 the SMercury. 
 
 This will appear more evi^ 
 
 dent, by confidering the Mat^ 
 
 K I ter 
 
M4 ^J Katural Thtlojophy, 
 
 ter of Metals \ which I will 
 deliver in the fence of Etrenx* 
 us the Great ^ having tranflated 
 hinn, but not having the Ori- 
 ginal in Latin by me. * Thac 
 Mercury ( faith he ) which i$ 
 generated in the veins of the 
 Earth, ( and all Metals arife 
 from the fame Matter) is the 
 univerfal material Mother oi 
 dl things cloathed with a 
 Metallick Species ^which may 
 be eafily proved , becau(e 
 JMercurj is accommodated 
 to them all , and by Arc 
 may be conjoyned ; which 
 would be impoffible unleis 
 they did partake of the fame 
 Nature. Mercury^ faith he, 
 is Water , yet fuch as will 
 mix wich nothing that is not 
 ' of its own Identity j where** 
 
Of Natural ^hilojophy. i ^ ^ 
 
 as therefore it drinks up all 
 Metals by its moifture , it 
 follows they have all a Cor* 
 refpondency of Matter with 
 
 ^ Again , Mercury , by the 
 ^ help of Art affifting Nature, 
 
 * may be fucccflfively digcfted 
 ^ with all the Metals. And 
 ^ this fame .^Mercury retaining 
 
 * the fame Colour and Form 
 
 * of flowing, will affume the 
 
 * true Nature of them , and 
 ^ by fucceffion exert their true 
 ^ Properties ^ which would be 
 ^ impoffible to be done by 
 ^ Art, did not Nature iTievv 
 ^ us the pofTibility by their 
 ^ Correfpondency of Matter. 
 
 * Befides, all Metals and Mi* 
 I nerals too, that are of Me- 
 
 K 4 tallick 
 
\l6 Of Natural Philofo^hy. 
 
 ^ tallick Principles , may be 
 ' reduced into a currenc Mer- 
 [ cury. 
 
 Hence I conceive, 'tis evi^ 
 dent, that current cMercury is 
 the nigheft (though not the 
 firft) Matter of Metals ; which 
 Mercury hath a Salt included 
 in it, and becomes a more or 
 lefs ripe Metal, according to 
 the purity or impurity of its 
 Matrix. What need then can 
 there be of Sulphur as a di- 
 ftind Principle ? But they 
 that contend that thefe three, 
 Sah^ Sulphur^ and Mercury^ are 
 the conftituent Principles of a 
 Metallick Body, ought to 
 fhew that Kature produces 
 thefe three fimple Subftances, 
 and then unites them in the 
 
 com- 
 
of ]>{atural fhilofophy. 1^7 
 
 cpmpofition of a Metal. But 
 who ever yec faw a Specifick 
 Metalline Salt void of Mercu- 
 ry and Sulphur ? Or finmple 
 Mercury without Salt , or a 
 Metalline Sulphur by it felf ? 
 
 The Truth is , in a ftricl 
 fence there are no ocher Prin- 
 ciples, but the moift vapor im^- 
 pregnated with vital heat ^ for 
 thefe two alone conftitute all 
 Bodies. As for the Salts I men- 
 tioned in the generation of 
 Plants and Metals, I conceive 
 them to be only a congelation 
 of a former Vapor,differenced 
 in Metals by a long circulati- 
 on in the Alembick , of the 
 Earth ; and in Plants, by a 
 fpeedy refolution near the S«- 
 fer fides. Now this Homoge- 
 neity 
 
1^8 Of Natural <P biiofophy. 
 
 neity of Salts in two fuch dif- 
 ferent Bodies , will not ap* 
 pear ftrange to them who 
 confider the vaft Alteration 
 Heat makes on Bodies by 
 time, in different Veflels: 
 thus common grols Water, in 
 an open Veflel, by a gentle 
 heat is foon evaporated and 
 rarefied into Air; whilft Dew, 
 a much purer Subftance, by 
 the fame heat, circulated in a 
 clole Veflel by length of time, 
 is condenfed into Earth. 
 
 objcdioH. But 'are not the Principles 
 of Bodies known by their Re- 
 fblution, and may not Metals 
 be reduced into three diftind 
 Principles I 
 
 If 
 
of j>latural PInloJoplrf. \ i p 
 
 If the various Figures iftro ^^fpof^f 
 which the Fire is able to di- 
 vide Bodies, muft be called 
 Principles , SMonfieur L Emery 
 afTigns no lefs than five,- but 
 he honeftly confefleth, that 
 this is efFefted by the alterati- 
 on the Fire makes on Bodies i 
 not by a natural Analyfis in* 
 CO their firft Principles^ 
 
 But does not the Great Std* oijeam. 
 gyrlte hold three Principles, 
 Matter^ Form and friyation ? 
 
 By Privation, he dot\inot j^efiortf 
 mean a Principle, in a ftrid 
 fence, u c. an Effence confti- 
 tucing a Body , or part of 
 iiich ; but with refpe<ft to the 
 previous Matter of each Bo- 
 dy, before it is fpecificated , 
 
 which 
 
140 Of Katural fktlo/ophy. 
 
 which he calls the Terminm a 
 quo ; as when determined, the 
 Terminus ad quern. But if it 
 niufl be a Principle, let it be 
 of Death, not of Life : For 
 how can that be a Principle 
 of Life, that is a leparation 
 of Soul and Body ? If in^ 
 ftead of Privation, he had cal- 
 led it Putrefaftion, that might 
 well enough have pafled for 
 a Principle , or fbmething 
 like it; fince Putrefkdionr is 
 the Gate to Life, 
 
 I think therefore the Two 
 Principles of the Ancients , 
 Matter and Forfn^ ftand firm, 
 notwithftanding Ariflotle or 
 the Q)ymifls. 
 
 But 
 
of Natural PInlofophy. 141 
 
 But if there are four Ele« ^^t^e Ele- 
 ments that conftitute Sodies^ ^^^^^' 
 according to the general Do- 
 (Jlrine^ they, I muft confefs, 
 will overthrow the Two 
 Principles of Matter & Form, 
 unlefs thefe Principles being 
 firft, the Elements afterwards 
 are made out of them, as Pin- 
 ^tarch will have it j and then 
 ^twill be difputing only about 
 Word-j. But we'll confider 
 this. 
 
 Elements feem to be but 
 modern in refpedt of the An* 
 cients : Mofes fpeaks only 
 of the Spirit and the Jbyfs ; 
 and fo, for what I perceive, 
 it continued even to the Time 
 of ThaleSy who flouriflied in 
 ihe -^^th Olympiad ^ Principles 
 
 and 
 
\^l of Natural Phtlofopby. 
 
 and Elements, being not then 
 diftinguiOied by him ; for 
 whicu Piutarch fiads fault with 
 hina. The fame Author makes 
 Empedocks to hold Four Ele== 
 roents, who, 'tis faid, was a 
 Difciple of Tythagoras , who 
 was contemporary with Tl?a' 
 les. Here I will fuppofe E- 
 kniems to begin ; the Rea- 
 fon this ; They that licld four 
 Elements, perceiving that be- 
 fides the moid Vapour, and 
 heavenly Influence, or Fire 
 and Water in the modern 
 Language, there were Earth 
 and Air ; that Air is the Food^ 
 and as it were, the Compani- 
 on of Fire^and Water of Earth, 
 and that things generated in 
 the Earth, could not but par^ 
 lake oi its Nature, as the F(£- 
 
 tm 
 
Of Natural Phitofophy. 145 
 
 ■ ^ ! 
 
 tm in the Womb. That 
 two of theie were active, and 
 two paffive j two heavy, and 
 two light ; muft of necefficy 
 be thole Parts of Matter, that 
 conftitiue the Harmony of 
 each Being. 
 
 To fpeak clearly to this 
 Matter, I fliall take each Ele* 
 inent apart, and by that you 
 will fee, whether thefe four, 
 or two only, are lelf-fubfift- 
 ing Beings; Pure, Simple, 
 Primitive, and Unmixt,which 
 is the Notion of an Element. 
 I will begin with the Air. 
 
 That the Air we walk in, of tb^ Air. 
 is pure and^nmixt, no one 
 will pretend j for the Sulphu- 
 rous Steamy, that are fiibliaaed 
 
 into 
 
1 44 ^/ '^^^t^^^l Philofophy. 
 
 into the Air, and the abun- 
 dant Moifture fludtuiting irl 
 this Region, fliew the con- 
 trary. 
 
 The Truth is, what we 
 call Air, is nothing but Wa- 
 ter rarefied, attra<Sted by the 
 Heat of the Sun, or fublim d 
 by the Archeus of the Earth; 
 and this may be made wzni^ 
 feft by many feveral Experi- 
 ments, as the evaporating of 
 Water into Smoak (which is 
 a grofs Air, ) or calcined Tar*^ 
 tar that will attract it, and dil- 
 lolve it into Water. 
 
 Of the The Earth can never be 
 
 ^^'^* faid ro be pure, fimple, or 
 unmix'd ; for it is the com- 
 mon Shop of Nature, where- 
 ' in 
 
Of lS{atural Thilofophy. i 4 5 
 
 in bodies of all fores and qua- 
 lities do refide. It is in truth, 
 nothing more than the groffer 
 parts of the Waters , which 
 condenfing into a body, be- 
 came the Settlement of the 
 Waters , which God after^ 
 wards caufed to become dry, 
 by the removal of the Wa- 
 ters from it, and the Spirit of 
 Light fliiningon it. 
 
 Though it is faid^ In the k- 
 ginning God created the Heaven 
 and the Earth ^ yet this is by a 
 Figure {j'^^ov Tr^cVe^ov udial , as 
 the Learned (ay, amongft the 
 Hehrel:>s ; for the Varhiefs ^}?as 
 ul)on the Face of the Veep ^ and 
 the Spirit mo^ed upon the Face of 
 the Waters. The Chaos there^ 
 fore , or firft Matter , was 
 L plainly 
 
1 46 Of Katural fhilofophy. 
 
 plainly an Ahyfs of Heaters ; and 
 fo our Latin Trandators and 
 Commentators render it, A^^ 
 qiiarum Tend fupernatrntium , 
 (ay Junius and Trcmelltus. 
 
 Of Water. Water, I conceive, is in 
 its own Nature, pure, fimple, 
 and unmix'd , without any 
 quality, though fufceptible of 
 all. A Primitive in Nature, 
 a middle Subftance, whole 
 one Extream conftituted 
 Earth , and its other Air or 
 Heaven. This may well be 
 called a Principle s for flie is 
 the firfl Matter of all things, 
 into which all things may be 
 reduced. 
 
 Of Fire. Fire, in its Original, is an 
 
 emanation of a Solar Spirit , 
 
 its 
 
of Katural fhilofophy. \ 47 
 
 its Rays darting downwards, 
 impregnate and enkindle 
 Paflive Matter, into Motion 
 and Veneration. It is the Life 
 or Spirit of the World , as 
 Water is the Matter. To 
 doubt this a Principle or Ele* 
 meat ( for I think it no Blun- 
 der, under Tint arch's Favour^ 
 to make them Synonymas^ ) 
 were a mortal Sin in Philofo* 
 phy. 
 
 Having faid this, 'tis eafie 
 to infer , That Water is the 
 paiTive Principle, and the So- 
 lar Influence, the Formal of 
 all created Beings 3 and that, 
 properly (peaking, chefe twd 
 are the only Principles , ac* 
 cording to the Ancients, and 
 the other two only Deriva- 
 tives, 
 
 L 1 But 
 
148 Of Natural fhtlofophy. 
 
 Buc does not the excellent 
 
 S Sy a Learned SMagm ^ 
 
 tell us. That the Four Elements 
 hy their never ceajhg Motion^caft 
 forth a Sferniy or Juhtil Tortion 
 of Matter y into the Earthy where 
 meetings and uniting^ it is digeH- 
 ed^ and brought to perfeBion^ ac- 
 cording to the purity or i?npuriiy of 
 the place ? The Authority of 
 this Perfon , and the Reve^ 
 rence and Admiration I have 
 for him, as it makes me con- 
 ceal his Name, lb it does al- 
 moft make me blufli to lift up 
 
 my Pen againft him. ^Sed 
 
 magis jimica Verita^^ 
 
 If Four Elements go to the 
 Conftitution of each Being , 
 ehefe Elements muft be inti- 
 mately united : Now that 
 
 cannot 
 
Of Natural Thilofophy. \ ^^ 
 
 cannot be, unlefs the pureft 
 part of one Element enter per 
 vnnima^ the pureft part of the 
 other. But Earth cannot en- 
 ter Water fer minima^ unlefs 
 it be reduced to the Form and 
 Tenuity of Water, and then 
 what need is there of Earth, 
 if Earth muft be firft refolved 
 into Water , ere it can unite 
 with it ? Again, Water muft 
 be rarefied to the dignity of 
 Air, or elfe it cannot unite 
 intimately with Air^ if fo, 
 what need is there of Water, 
 /ince Water muft become Air 
 before it can alTift in the Con- 
 fticutionof a Body ? 
 
 It to me therefore (eems 
 
 moft plain , that all created 
 
 ^Bthigs here below, are a Con- 
 
 L I Crete 
 
150 Oj Katural^hflo/opby. 
 
 crece of Water , the purcft 
 part whereof being rarefied, 
 and impregnated with a ce- 
 leftlal Heat , ( which is all 
 the Elenieni of Fire I know 
 of, ) is digefted into the vari- 
 ous works of Nature^ diver- 
 fified now, according to what 
 Nature has wrought in the 
 Matrix, before the Form en- 
 ters } for the Form is as capa- 
 ble of divers effects , as the 
 Water is fufceptible of quali^ 
 ties. Thus much tor the 
 Second, yi:^. Trina^les and E- 
 hymnts. 
 
 Thirdly, I fliall compare 
 fome Ariftotdian Hypotbejes 
 with thofeof Democritus. 
 
 A'ijhtle 
 
of Natural fh'dojophy. i 5 i 
 
 Jriftotle and Heraclltm too, 
 held the Elements to be contra- 
 ry to each other^as^Fir^ to Ifa- 
 ter^ Earth to Air^ two a(5^ive 
 and two paiffive Principles ; 
 but T>emocr'ttus denies it ; al- 
 ledging, that the Agent and 
 Patient mud be in fome mea- 
 lure alike , otherwife they 
 cannot aft upon one another, 
 Wherein Democritm is certain^ 
 ly in the right j for Fire and 
 Water differ not in a remifs, 
 but intenfe degree : witneis 
 the quiet refting of Iron ( in 
 which the Fire of Nature 
 dwells plentifully ) in Water ; 
 and witnefs the Generation 
 of Animals in water, which 
 cannot be done without heat, 
 and witnefs the Seeds of all 
 Beiiigs (whofe germinating 
 L 4 Virtue^ 
 
I 5 X OJ^ ISLcttural Philofophy , 
 
 Virtue, is the Five of Nature ) 
 involved in Moifture, 
 
 There is, in truth, no more 
 difference between thefe two, 
 than betw^een Water and 
 Plants; of which, the one is 
 io far from being repugnant 
 to the other, that the Plant is 
 nouriihed by the w^ater ; yet 
 when the water is raifed to 
 an yicidj and the Plant redu- 
 ced to an Alkali^ by the union 
 oi thete two, a violent ebul- 
 lition is caufed, a controverfie 
 even unto Death. 
 
 As for the Caufe of the 
 variety of 'Bodies^ the diffe- 
 rence between Jfnftotle and 
 his Folio w^ers, and Leucippus^ 
 Vemocritiis and Epicurus^ and 
 
 their 
 
of 'I>{atural flnlofophy. \ ^ ^ 
 
 their Followers , is no lefs ; 
 and 'tis no wonder that they 
 who differ in the Nature of 
 their Principles ^ fliould fall 
 out in the effe(Sts they pro^ 
 duce. 
 
 The Jrijlotelwis impute 
 the efFefts of bodies to fecrec 
 primary Qualities, refiding ia 
 them, by the conjunction of 
 the Elements ^ and fo under 
 the Mask of Qualities, which 
 they could not tell what to 
 make of, couch all ignorance 
 of bodies , their Caufes , if 
 not Effeds. 
 
 DemocrittiSy and his Peo=' 
 pie, impute nothing to Qua- 
 licies, but all to Figure and 
 Motion , called the Atomical 
 ^hyfiolo^y. For 
 
M4 
 
 Of Natural Thilofophy. 
 
 For my part, I think nei» 
 ther Opinion right ; yet a 
 middle between both may be 
 true. I {hall confider both 
 Opinions^ and then give my 
 Reafons againft both, and for 
 the middle one. As for the 
 Pynhmwi Dodtrine of Qiiali- 
 ties, 'tis too trifling to merit 
 an Anfvver. 
 
 I might introduce this Que- 
 ftion with a great deal of 
 pomp, and fliew that it hath 
 been a Controverfie in the 
 world for above Two Thou^ 
 fand Years ; that it hath ex^ 
 ercifed the greateft Men, and 
 that it is not yet determined. 
 But I fliall think my felf hap- 
 py enough, if I can put an 
 end to this Debate, without 
 
 any 
 
of Natural PhiloJop1?y. 1 5 5 
 
 any other confideration. The 
 Method I propote to take, I 
 think, differs from thole tliac 
 have goae before me ; for I 
 intend to fpeak ot the Crea- 
 tion of the Firft Maccer, and 
 Univerfal Form, and fhew 
 how from the various Union 
 of thefe Two, various Qua- 
 lities arife. But it would he 
 too Magifterial to rejedt Opi- 
 nions, without fliewing tlieir 
 Miftakes : I fhall therefore 
 endeavour to fhew the Error 
 of thefe two Parties, and then 
 fubftirute what I conceive 
 more true. 
 
 As to the ^riflotelian ; that 
 of Occult Qiialities, 'tis Ignop 
 turn per Jgnotlus ; a thing is 
 hot or cold, bitter or fweet, 
 
 becaule 
 
156 Of Natural <Philo/o(>hy. 
 
 becaufe of fome Quality in it 5 
 and what is that Quality ? 
 'Tis Occult, that is in plain 
 Englifli , 'tis fo , becaufe it 
 isfb. 
 
 But the mod that can be 
 made of this Notion of Quali* 
 ties , may amount to this , 
 That there is a Form, or Vi^ 
 tal Principle latent, or occult 
 in all Bodies, that not only 
 retains and keeps the Parts 
 together ( be the Cjenus or 
 Species what it will ) and fo 
 diftributes it felf to all the 
 Members , performing the 
 Office of Life, but is the Spe* 
 cifick Formal Caufe of all 
 thofe Qualities , with which 
 Bodies abound ; be they thole 
 of Sweet;, Bitter^ Sharp, &c. 
 
 or 
 
of Natural Ph'tlofophy. 
 
 M7 
 
 or Hot and Cold in their fe- 
 veral degrees. Which Form 
 being a Vital Principle, is in- 
 vifible, (and therefore oc- 
 cult, ) as Lucretius holds. 
 
 
 
 Ex infenfilihus ne credos fenjile 
 
 K'mirum Lafides <(jr Ugna , &c. 
 
 * Of things unfeen things vifi«» 
 
 ( ' ble are made, 
 
 ' As Stones, and Woodj and 
 
 ( ^ all things that do fade. 
 
 But this, I conceive, can- 
 not be ; for though (jaltruchim 
 tells us in juftification of this 
 Dodlrine , That there is an 
 actual Modification, and De- 
 termination of the Form to 
 the Matter J I would fain 
 
 know 
 
158 of Natural Philofophy, 
 
 know what particular Quali* 
 ty can a Form have, that 
 enters pafiive Matter ? Where 
 can k receive, before it enters 
 Mficter, fuch a Specification ? 
 For notvvithftanding what 
 Pimy faith of the Planet ^e- 
 vu^j that (lie icatters a Proli^ 
 fick Dew, which is but gene- 
 ral, and what the Aftrolo- i 
 gers fay of the particular In- 
 fluences of each Planet 5 1 de- 
 fire to know, who can diftin*" 
 guifli the Influences of Saturn 
 from Jupiter ; Mars from Ve- 
 jiusy and fo of the reft, except 
 that of Sol ? The Sun indeed 
 melts WaXjbut hardens Clay^ 
 but this diverfity of efFe6t 
 proceeds from the difference 
 of the Objeft , not of the 
 Agent 5 for the Agent is al- 
 
 v?ays 
 
OfT^atural Philofo^hy. 159 
 
 ways one and the fame, tho' 
 varied according to the paf- 
 five Matter that receives it. 
 
 'Tis not therefore the Form 
 alone that gives , or is the 
 Quality in the Body; for as 
 the Body was fcatter'd Atomi 
 loofe and infipid, till its parts 
 being colle(fted , conftituted, 
 by virtue of the Form, a mixc 
 Body ; fo was its Form fim-* 
 pie and undetermined , till 
 bound down, and tied to the 
 Body- 
 Now for the jitomtcd ^hy- 
 ftology of Leucippas , Dentocri* 
 tus and Epicurus^ which is now 
 called the New, by what Fi- 
 gure I know not. How can 
 meer Matter, which in it (elf, 
 
 loofe 
 
\6o Of Natural Philofophy, 
 
 loofe and Icattered, isinfipid, 
 i. e. in its parts hath no Tafte, 
 {jor "^hat Taftc haVe the uncom- 
 founded Sod'ies of Atoms ^ yoid of 
 (Qualities ? ) when put together 
 by the clinging of its Atoms, 
 the emanation of its Particles, 
 ( or imagine what other way 
 youpleaie) acquire a particu- 
 lar Tafte, or give a particu- 
 lar Odor ? 2\Ji/ dat quod mn 
 habetj may hold well enough 
 here» That which it had 
 not in its Parts^ it can never 
 have in the whole y ( 1 fpeak 
 of the fame undetermind 
 Matter ; for I know that Bo- 
 dies of different NatureS;»wheh 
 conjoyn'd , obtain Qualities 
 by Fermentation, which nei- 
 ther had a part ;) befides if 
 Atoms by their Pofition and 
 
 Figure^ 
 
Of Natural Thilofopby. \6i 
 
 Figure, or by the manner of 
 the flowing forth of their 
 Particles, do give a Tafte and 
 Smell, C7C. thefe Atoms ar« 
 fo very fmall, that the Body, 
 though feparated into many 
 Parts, yet muil retain not* 
 tvithftanding the Figure of the 
 Atoms, the Atoms being too 
 minute to have their Angles 
 and Points cut off by a fmall 
 divifion of the Body 5 and 
 confequently the Parts of the 
 Body, muft have the fame 
 Tafte and Odor, when divi^ 
 ded, as before, if the Quali^ 
 ties that are perceived by the 
 Organs of Tafte and Smel- 
 ling , be wholly owing to 
 Matter, i. e. to the figuration 
 of the Atoms. 
 
 M But 
 
\6t Of Natural fhilofophy. 
 
 But this daily Experience 
 evinces the contrary ; for Bo- 
 dies divided , or but a little 
 opened^ as^ Pbnts and Fruit, 
 C^c. loie in a little time both 
 their Tafte and Smell - and 
 yet no one can fay, that the 
 points or angles of the A* 
 corns were disfigured, or the 
 Emanation of their Particles 
 obftrufted , fince great Pro^ 
 portions were left untouched. 
 
 But Galtruchius affirms , 
 ^ Matter to be previoufly di- 
 ^ fpofed to fuch a Form, by a 
 * Temperament of Qualities. 
 But how can this be ? Are 
 not Qualities the Effe(5t of 
 Life in every Body , what 
 needs there then a Form where 
 ihere is Life before o^ The 
 
 Qua* 
 
of Natural fhilofo^hy. i 6 ; 
 
 Qualities therefore of Odor 
 and Tafte cannot proceed 
 from the configuration of the 
 Atoms, 
 
 Now if neither the Form 
 gives the Quality of it (elf ; 
 for the Form^as I have (hewn 
 before, is fimple, a vital Air 
 undetermined ; nor the paC- 
 five Matter, though Atomi- 
 cal, as I have fliewn here j 
 and yet all Bodies have Qua- 
 lities, they muft proceed froni 
 the Union of both, and noc 
 from any diftind: Caule in 
 either. So the Spirit of Ni- 
 tre and Salt Armoniack apart, 
 have no Qualities or Power 
 to difiolve, or rather corrode 
 Gold, but united, do it efFe- 
 dually. 
 
 M % 4- Thrs' 
 
I 64 Of Natural Thtlofophy. 
 
 4. This brings me to the 
 Fourth and laft Thing I in- 
 tend to fpeak to ; and that is, 
 How the Earth comes to be 
 filled with variety of Bodies, 
 abounding with different qua* 
 lities* 
 
 Since I propofe here to 
 treat of the Original of Qua- 
 lities, I muft, of nece/fity 
 fpeak of the Firft Matter, and 
 its Formation ; and that leads 
 me naturally to confider the 
 firft Creation \ which I fhall 
 do as briefly as poffibly I 
 can. 
 
 I fliall not cite the various 
 Opinions of the feveral Sedts 
 of Philofophers that treat of 
 the World's beginning, (tho' 
 
 fome 
 
Of Natural Thilofophy. \ 6 5 
 
 iome thought it had none , ) 
 this would look more like 
 Shew, than Ufe, which I have 
 no Temptation to do, fince I 
 write for Pleafure , not for 
 Bread. Befides, forPhilolb^ 
 phy's fake,! fhall omit it ; for 
 there is nothing [o foolifli, 
 which fome of them have not 
 faid. Nor fhall I borrow 
 Parts of the Many , as the 
 Greeks^jAidy to patch up a New 
 one of my own. Norfliall 
 I 'fpeak of the Creation any 
 farther than as it relates to my 
 prelent purpofe. But herein 
 1 will take the Philofopher 
 ^!Mofes for my Guide, who, 
 exclulive of his Divine Au^ 
 thority, has given a wi(er 
 Account of the World's Cre^ 
 ation, than the whole Body 
 M 3 of 
 
I 66 Of Natural fhilo/ophy. 
 
 of Philofophers put together 5 
 whofe Writings the mod 
 Learned BiOiop Sttllingfleet 
 has defended in his Ort^ines 
 SacviCy againft all the World. 
 
 Of the Cre- God having created the 
 ation. pjj.^ Matter, which feems tq 
 be a thin, fluid Subftance, an 
 Abyfs of Fume or Vapour, 
 rather than Water , which 
 was therefore the more paf* 
 five and tenuous., fit to be 
 flretched out for the compo- 
 fition of Heaven, and capa= 
 ble of any Form ; he gave a 
 Form fit to aduate and im- 
 pregnate this Matter, which 
 ivas to be the vital Principle 
 of this Body. This general 
 Form was a Spirit of Light 
 and Heat, and io are all par* 
 
 licular 
 
Of Natural ^hilojophy. 167 
 
 ticular Forms now,and there- 
 fore capable of being the In- 
 ftrument of God, ( not the 
 Third {a) Perfon in the Tri- iZIne"'' 
 nity ) to rarefie and fubcilize hraifm to 
 the Superficies of this Abyfs, ^"^^^^f ^^- 
 and to exalt it to the Dignity to thefirft. 
 
 of conftitutinp Celeftial Bo-™^^^^jn- 
 
 dj »-,/ ction of 
 
 les and Aither. Firft and 
 
 Second 
 Caufes, was found out firft by the Creekj , who 
 taught the World tofpeak Scholaftically *, but the 
 Jewsm^dQ them all onej which indeed, in a large 
 fence they are ; for the world is the Lorctsy and aH 
 things therein. And therefore Ifiiah, c. 40. v. 8. 
 faith, The Grafs withereth, the Flower fadethybccAufc 
 the Spirit of the Lord bloweth npan it. As the World 
 is God's, and all the Spirits in it, and Parts of it, 
 fo indeed this may be faid to be the Spirit of the 
 Lord, in point of Property, but not of Identity. 
 Can any one think that this Spirit that blows on the 
 Qrafs, (or take it Metaphorically, for Man,) is 
 the Holy Ghoil ? Jtmru and Tremehitu tranflate the 
 vVords Spiritju Jehov£y the appropriate Name of 
 thQ Eternal '^ yet in their Commentary fay, 'tis not 
 Regenitfu Spirit fn Sa-a^ificationis in Chrifio ; which, if 
 they had remembred, they would not have ren- 
 dred the Sjiritm Dei^ Gen. i . SpiritHs SanUnd^ Ttr^ 
 
 M 4 ti* 
 
I 68 Of Natural Philofoj^hy. 
 
 tia ilia Perfona Deitatis^ a DcoPatreCr FiUofYOcedens, 
 But they have, 1 mufl acknowledge,not a few Com- 
 mentators on their fide , though I conceive, the 
 'Jews never dreamed of fuch an Interpretation : they 
 inight believe it fome/^/>, Potemia^ or Emamtio Dei^ 
 but not the Divine Nature himrelf,which it isdifbo- 
 nourable to imagine was incHbam ptferficiei Je^m- 
 rnm^ brooding over the Waters, as a Hen does o- 
 ver her Eggs. This piece of Mechanifm may be 
 (bitable to Man, or fome created Power*, but the 
 Almighty Piat is worthy only of God. But be- 
 lides this Coniedure, the Original will bear it ^ for 
 the Learned fay that RHach fignifies not only Sfiri- 
 tHSy but f^emti^^ Folnntaf, Angulm^ Pars^ & PUga. 
 And therefore R, Abraham on this Place, renders it, 
 Spritw (aut Fentiis^ Dei fitfji.ibat (^am ciibabat) 
 fufer facie m y::ejnarum ; (i. e.) faith he , rem^ 
 fntffiis a Df>0^ ad deficcandnm yiqnas. 
 
 The Firft TThis Spirit of Light and 
 ' ' Heat, whofe Property is Mo- 
 tion, ailing upon this Supcr^ 
 ficiesy rais'd ic up on all fideSj 
 and mixing and abiding with 
 it, in a plentiful degree, ad* 
 vanced it up to the fupreme 
 Heaven, and enlightned all 
 
 that 
 
of ISlatural fhilofophy. \ 6^ 
 
 chat Part , by its diffufion , 
 which vve call Alther ; though 
 the lower part of that migh- 
 ty Space, the Atmofphere^ was 
 but glimmering, in refped: of 
 the j^ther ; and the Ferra^ 
 queoiis Globe , by reafon of 
 its diftance, and gloomy Sub- 
 ftance, was dark. This Di- 
 vifion of the Light from the 
 Darknefs, Holy Writ calls 
 the Firft Day's Work, 
 
 This will appear more evi- The Second 
 dent by coniidering the Se« ^^* 
 cond Day's Work , and that 
 was the making of a Firma- 
 vicnt ^ or Expanfion, which 
 was to divide the Waters from the 
 Waters^ {i.e.) the Waters that 
 refided with the Globe be- 
 low, not only from the Ce* 
 
 leftial 
 
%70 Of Natural Thtlo/ophy. 
 
 leftial Bodies, which were 
 advanc d above , whofe ma- 
 terial Principle was Water ; 
 but even from the lower pare 
 of this Aery Region^the Re- 
 fidence of Watery Clouds, 
 The manner of which, I con- 
 ceive was thus by the Will of 
 the moft High. 
 
 This A(5ti ve Spirit of Light 
 furrounding the moift Va- 
 pour on all fides, drove it 
 down lower throughout the 
 Aery Region , and thereby 
 comprefs'd this tenuous Mat- 
 ter , into a more clofe and 
 narrow corapafs, whence it 
 became condenfed into a wa- 
 tery Subftance. The Vapour 
 thus condenfed into Water, 
 and thus comprefs'd on all 
 fides , flying frona the Fiery 
 
 Spirit, 
 
of l^atural FInloJophy. \ 7 1 
 
 Spirit, as from an Enemy, 
 became ftill more congeard, 
 vvhoie Centre being the Sedi- 
 ment of the Waters, became 
 Mud or Earth. And this was 
 the Second Day's Work. 
 
 This Fiery Spirit, by the The Third 
 Will of God, acting upon^'^' 
 the Waters, divided the fame, 
 fo that the Waters being roU 
 led off on each fide, the Mud 
 or Earthy Subftance appear- 
 ed, which by the r^Medium of 
 the Form was made dry, and 
 impreanated with virtue fuffi- 
 cient tor the Production of 
 Plants. And this was the 
 Third Day's Operation. 
 
 But on the Fourth Day , The Fourth 
 the Almighty coUe(5ted and ^^y- 
 
 pent 
 
\y% Of Natural fhilojophy. 
 
 pent in this featter'd Univerfal 
 Form into the Body of the 
 Sun, whofe Virtue being {hut 
 up, & comprized in a narrow 
 Compals , was capable of a 
 more intenle Emanation > 
 whence followed a more no- 
 ble Produs5tion. 
 
 The Fifch So that on the Fifth Day 
 
 ^'y- God created Fifli and Fowl, 
 
 by the Union of the Paffive 
 
 Matter , Water, and that of 
 
 the Form. 
 
 The Sixth And afterwards, on the 
 ^^y- Sixth Day, of the Earth God 
 made Beafts and Reptils (the 
 Matter being groder, the Ge== 
 neration was more fluggifh, ) 
 and then, as the Colophon of all, 
 God created that mighty 
 
 Crea* 
 
of Katural Philofophy. \y> 
 
 Creature Man , endowed 
 with a Mind full of Vertue 
 and Holinefs, in refemblance 
 to the Divine Nature, (not 
 to fpeak of his Knowledge 
 and Wifdom , ) and made 
 him Lord of all. Were I 
 not here in Publick, I could 
 not forbear a Rapture of 
 Praife to the Almighty Build- 
 er of the World, for his Boun=» 
 ty and Munificence to Man, 
 in the mighty Priviledges and 
 Endowments of his Nature. 
 Sed quod j^alam non decet^ dam 
 fiat. 
 
 Having here given a fhort 
 Abridgment of the Creation, 
 I fliall proceed to fliew how 
 the Earth comes to be filled 
 with variety of Bodies a- 
 
 bounding 
 
174 0/ Natural Philofophy. 
 
 bounding with different Qua- 
 lities. The Confideration of 
 this, will take in Plants, Mi- 
 nerals, and all FoflTils. 
 
 As for Plants J we find them 
 mention d in the ^dDay*s ope- 
 ration^and that they included 
 their own Seeds, according to 
 their fcveral Species : So that 
 from hence it feems that all 
 Plants , being created from 
 the beginning, had for their 
 continuance a Seed infufed^ 
 that ?ni^ht he the Future Prin- 
 ciple of raifing the like ; 1 
 fay, might he ; for that I con» 
 ceive, I have already fhe wed, 
 that Plants may be generated 
 of all forts, without the fow- 
 ing of the Specifick feed, by 
 the Power of the Form, and 
 
 the 
 
Oftiaturd Philofophy. 175 
 
 the predifpofition which the 
 Solar Influx has previoufly 
 wrought on Paflive Mat* 
 ter* 
 
 But now it remains we give 
 an account how the Earth 
 comes to be altered by the So- 
 lar Influx ; or in the Words 
 above, how the Earth comes 
 to be filled with variety of 
 Bodies , abounding with dif- 
 ferent Qualities. 
 
 i fuppofe the Earth and 
 Waters, in the firfl: Creation, 
 had no Qualities but the pri- 
 mary of Cold and Moift:, and 
 after the Waters were rolled 
 off, and the dry Land appear- 
 ed, thofe that then were, were 
 latent in the Plants which 
 
 God 
 
\y6 Of Natural Fhilo/ophy. 
 
 God created, which were on- 
 ly in the Su(>erficies. A weak 
 Light, and a faint Form being 
 fufficicnt for the Produftion 
 of thefe J fo that the inner 
 parts of the Earth were ftill 
 iimple and undetermin d. 
 
 But God having fliuc up 
 this fcatter'd and wandring 
 Light, on the Fourth Day, 
 into the Body of the Sun, it 
 became thence a powerful 
 and univerfal Form or Spirit 
 to this fimple or general Mat- 
 ter ,' which wheeling about 
 this Globe of Earth and Wa- 
 ters concinually, and darting 
 into it on all fides Rays of 
 Light and Heat, muft of ne^ 
 ceffity fill the Earth with Heat 
 and Spirit. 
 
 This 
 
of Tiatural fhilofopbyl'^^ i y^ 
 
 This vicat Heat ftill being 
 multiplied and increafed by 
 the Influx of more, and this 
 Form moving in its Sphere,'' 
 by mixing with the Waters, 
 and arifing by Sublimation 
 xvich them , what with the 
 Rays flowing in, and the Va- 
 pours by fubliming to the S^- 
 perficies of the Earth,expiring ; 
 muft of neceffity work on the, 
 PafTive Matter , the Earth j 
 through which they pafs, and 
 according to the Plenty or 
 Scarcity of the Form , caule 
 diverfity of Qualities in itj 
 for the w^arm Vapour fl:ill-pu^> 
 rifles the place where it palTesp 
 but where it is ftoppd, before 
 purification of the Place , an 
 abortive or imperteft Thing 
 i^ m^de, n; . 
 
 N Thus 
 
178 Of Natural fbilofophy. 
 
 Thus S^enurj decermvned 
 to a Metallick Species , for 
 want of fufficient Heat in the 
 Matrix , becomes an Abor* 
 tive. And thus the Earth , 
 wrought upon varioufly to* 
 wards the Superficies^ by the 
 Intenfion or Remiflion of the 
 warm Vapour^ though in a 
 moft minute degree , muft 
 produce a different Salt, and 
 thence a different Plant, as 
 the leaft Stroak of a Pencil 
 makes a different Face. 
 
 This will appear more evi- 
 dent, when we confider that 
 the various parts of the world 
 are produ(5tivc of different 
 and appropriated Plants and 
 Metals, which can be owing 
 to nothing , buc the various 
 
 infoi" 
 
of Natural ^thilofopby. 1 79 
 
 information of the Matter , 
 which proceeds from the near- 
 er or remoter acceis of the 
 Parent of all Forms, theSun;^ 
 differenced under the fame 
 Meridian ; as I fliall fliew 
 hereafcer, 
 
 'Tis eafie to obferve how 
 Fire alters Matter , though 
 determined , both in Figure 
 and Quality : Thus a Culi- 
 nary Fire, moderately appli- 
 ed to Fruitj Flefli, or Plants, 
 by boiling, baking, or roaft- 
 ing, caufes a Tafte quite dif- 
 ferent from what an incenfe 
 Heat 5 or over-boilings ba^ 
 king, or roafting occafioa s 
 
 Thus the moft Learned 
 
 SMctalltniJis z&tm of the Ge- 
 
 N 2 neracion 
 
I 8o Of Natural Thtlofophy. 
 
 neracion of Meuls, that Sa- 
 turn is produc'd of the moift 
 Vapour adhering to Places 
 impure and cold ; Venmj of 
 that Vapour in a Matrix irn^ 
 pure and hot ; 5o/, in a Place 
 pure and hot, <src. Of thefe 
 Matters, I conceive, Ves Car- 
 tes has Ipoke but meanly ; for 
 Jie makes thediverfity of Me- 
 tals to arife from the different 
 Magnitude and Figure of their 
 three Principles , which is a 
 Notion borrowed of Epicurus. 
 But he acknowledges in this 
 Matter his want of Experi- 
 ence ; for he tells us , Qu^ 
 fartajfe Jingula dejmpftjjem hoc 
 in loeo^ fi Varia Expertmentay qu^ 
 ad certam eorum cognitionem re- 
 quirnntur^ facere haBenm licuif- 
 Jet, ' Tbefe Matters (faith he,) 
 
 I 
 
Of Natural fhilofophy. i g i 
 
 ' I would have defcribed par- 
 ^ ncularly in this place, if I 
 ' had had an opportunity of 
 ' making fome Experiments, 
 ^ which are neceflary to the 
 ^ exa(5t knowledge of them. 
 But I believe he had the 
 Philofopher's Fortune, as well 
 as Wit ; fo that 
 
 Haud facile emergunt ciuorum Vtr- 
 
 tutibu6 ohjlat 
 ^es anguHa donil. 
 
 c His Vertiics hardly to be 
 
 ^feen 
 ' Whole Fortune is but low 
 
 ' and mean. 
 
 'Tis not from the Configu^ 
 ration of the Metalline Prin- 
 ciples, that Metals vary, but 
 N 3 by 
 
I h 2 0/ Natural i^htlolophy. 
 
 by how much the Place is de^- 
 purated, the Metal becomes 
 more excellent , as I have 
 fhewed before. Befides the 
 three imaginary Principles of 
 Metals, were never yet feen 
 diftind:ly produced by Na- 
 ture, and therefore no fuch 
 various Configuration is pro- 
 ductive of various Metals, 
 
 The fame Reafon holds for 
 all forts of Foffils j fo that the 
 Terreftrial Heat , flowing 
 from the Central Parts of the 
 Earth, ( which fome Philolo- 
 phers call the Terreftrial Sun, 
 others the Jrcheu^ of Nature } 
 and the Celeftial flowing 
 from the Sun (being both 
 alike, ) continually into the 
 Exarch, do there meet and u^ 
 
 nice, 
 
Of Natural Thilojophy. i 8 ; 
 
 nice, and what from the in* 
 
 terpoficion of moift Vapours, 
 
 arifing from fome Marifli 
 
 Plrxes, that hinders the Solar 
 
 Influx , from the Inundation 
 
 of Waters into the Bowels of 
 
 the Earth , in other places ; 
 
 the compadnefs of the Earth, /'^x j ^^ 
 
 that, repreffes the afcending confirmed 
 
 Vapours (4), in others; the ^l!^ ^^'5 !« 
 
 loolnels in others, that gives on, by an 
 
 waytpic, arifes all that vaft^^o"^^'"^ 
 . r rt V I J- which] faw 
 
 variety or Bodies abounding at 7«». 
 
 with different Qualities,which ^^•^'4^, 
 we behold by digging in the .^n^g^^ 
 Earth , and lee in Plants bout three 
 in the Superficies. And this ^;|[J^^^' J^^^ 
 Alteration, that is, RemiflTion hard Rock, 
 or Intenfion of Heat in the ^^r this 
 
 XT ' ! • r^ocky Sub- 
 
 Vapour, gives that variety of ^ance bin- 
 Form to the Leaves of Plants, dred the af- 
 fcarce one Leaf in the fame ^^J^^^^^^ 
 N 4 Plant/ 
 
\ 84 Of Natural Philofophy, 
 
 Plant, being in all parts like 
 another. 
 
 This will appear more e- 
 vident, by coniidering, that 
 the permanent Matter of all 
 Bodies is Salt, and the Form, 
 a Portion of Light. And 
 for the Salt, it is much the 
 fame in all Bodies , when 
 ftript of its fpecificated Quali- 
 ties ^ and the Form differs ra^ 
 ther in degree than kind in all 
 Bodies,as is apparent to them, 
 who are acquainted with the 
 Analyfis of Bodies. 
 
 Conclufion. But after all, I have not 
 the vanity to think, that all 
 that I have faid, will obtain 
 with the Reader : The Minds 
 of mpft Men ftand bent, and 
 
 inclined 
 
of N^atural flnlofo^hj. \ 85 
 
 inclind to the Pedantry of 
 their Proieffion and Educati- 
 on; not one Man in ten thou- 
 fand is other than what he 
 learn'd fronn his Tutor or Ma- 
 iler ; for though God has giv^" 
 en us large and free Faculties, 
 yet vye (utFer our felves to be 
 bovv'd down to Principles and 
 Notions, without examining 
 them with Freedom and 
 Judgment. This is evident 
 from the Societies ot Men , 
 who always follow their 
 Founder through blind and 
 ignorant Zeal. 
 
 Againft this, I cannot but 
 commend Jriftotle^ who op- 
 pofed flato, even whilft he 
 taught him : By which, I on- 
 ly mean, h^ examined the 
 
 Food 
 
I 86 Of Natural Tlnlo/ophy. 
 
 Food before it went down. 
 But our Palaces are fo vitia- 
 ted, that we can tafte nothing 
 but what we are ufed to. 
 
 Therefore I do not expeft 
 that they who have never 
 looked into Tiatural ^hilojophyy 
 or have but juft made an en- 
 trance, fliould imbibe what 
 I have offered ; I have not 
 writ to fuch , having only 
 given Hints , not a Syftem 
 ofPhilofbphy. 
 
 There are Principles and 
 Elements in all Sciences, that 
 are firft to be learned ; there 
 are fuch Difficulties in Learn- 
 ing, as well as Knowledge, 
 that what afterwards will ap* 
 pear plain and evident, at firft 
 
 fight. 
 
of iSiatural Philojophy. \ 87 
 
 fighr, feems to raw and criide 
 Underftandings , repugnant 
 and contrary ro Truch. 'Tis 
 no wonder therefore that/^j^ 
 thap}\i4 taught, That the firft 
 Bafiaels of Man , was to 
 jree the Mind from Pollution 
 and Prejudice, without which 
 Freedom, none can perceive 
 aright. Tlien the Seeds of 
 Knowledge and Truth are to 
 be inlerted , then the Mind 
 becomes new, has new Ap- 
 petite, new Paffions, is dead 
 (^almoft without a Metaphor) 
 to the former Life, and alive 
 to Vertue and Philofophy. 
 In this Soil the Tares and the 
 Wheat will not grow toge- 
 ther : ' For Philofophy (faith 
 Hio'ocles ) ' is the Perfe<3ion 
 ; of Humane Life, reftoring 
 
 'it 
 
I 88 Of Natural fhtlo/o[^hy. 
 
 ^it to the Divine Re(em- 
 ^blance. Vertue and Truth, 
 ^ efFe£t this ; the former fub- 
 ' diiing Excefs of Paffions , 
 ^ the latter inducing the Di- 
 ^ vine Form. 
 
 The Mind of Man muft 
 be always filled with fome- 
 what J here Nature abhors a 
 Vacuum ; and the warmer e- 
 very Man s Conftitution, the 
 more active his^ Spirit. So 
 that he who takes no care to 
 fill his Mind with moderate 
 Knowledge of God and his 
 Works,to be able from thence 
 to entertain himfelf wnth 
 pleafing Thoughts, will give 
 our great Enemy an opportu^ 
 nity to attack him when idle ; 
 with whom to parly, is to be 
 undone. How 
 
of Natural Philofophy. i 8p 
 
 How have I known Men 
 loft^in feeking for Game with- 
 ouc , meerly for want of a 
 good Stock within ! Where* 
 fore there is no Trealure like 
 that of the Mind. 
 
 But you will fay, May not 
 a Man's Bufinefs, and the Af- 
 fairs of the World entertain 
 him ? Nature requires a Re* 
 lax of Drudgery ; The Va-* 
 cation-Moments undo Man* 
 kind; not knowing how^ 
 wifely to fill up thole Spaces, 
 runs us into Miferies, hardly 
 to be retrieved. ' But a Mind 
 ' filled with Knowledge and 
 ' Vertue, is a Fountain of £• 
 ' ternal Light, has Commu^ 
 ^ nication night and day vvMth 
 J Heaven^and has Raptures of 
 
 .^ pleafure, 
 
Ipo of Natural Philojophy. 
 
 * Plcaiure, which this lower 
 ' World knows nothing of. 
 
 Here the crafty Politician 
 is at a lois ; her^ the greedy 
 Merchant hath no Com- 
 merce y here the fubcil Cafu* 
 ift is puzled ,• the Voluptu- 
 ous, the Ambitious, the Co- 
 vetous, the Lalcivious, the 
 Dull , the Sowre , and the 
 Bate, of thefc things have no 
 Gull or Relifh : To thefe I 
 may £iy, as the Herald us'd 
 to do at the Pagan Sacrifices i 
 Ptf&cul eUe ProfauL For the 
 Wife and the Humble, the 
 Modeft and the Vertuous 
 move only iri this elevated 
 Sphere. But Morals are need- 
 lefs after what the Excellent 
 Di. Ltica^ has (aid, inhisad^ 
 
 mirabk 
 
0} TSl^atural Philofophy. 191 
 
 mirable Works,who has obli= 
 ged an ungrateful Age. 
 
 If what I have faid, take 
 with the few Wife and Vertu* 
 ous, I have my End ; as for 
 the Diflblute, may he reform ; 
 but as Vicious, I neither court 
 his Suffrage , nor value his 
 
 Judgmept, Q^td malt 
 
 feci ? Sec. 
 
 Sempitenia Lux ! Tsiec Hono» 
 res nee Vmtias peto^ me modo 
 Diyin^e Lucis (I{adio illumines^ isr 
 Sapmt'i'a , JRerumq; Naturalium 
 Cognitione inflruas^ ut hifce a me 
 probe perfpe^is^ JMajeftatem tu* 
 am^ earum tneiq-j Creatrkem intent 
 [tore Amore <sr Ardor e Animi pro- 
 fequar <jr adorem , ut cum met 
 tranficr'mt Vies^ ( Q(£k^i Regno 
 
 tuo 
 
1 92 Oj Natural Philo/ophy. 
 
 tuo illatm^ ) cowparat'ior fim^ ad 
 Divina mitemplanda , Sa^lentt^ 
 amq\ tuam Amove Sera^hico am^ 
 plexandam. 
 
 F I K I S\ 
 
->~'-*^>v?:^ 
 
v^*. 
 
 i"'^%. 
 
 '^V- 
 
 .'. - ^'*'