Part VI.

AKIST or LE.
53
neous things ^ cdd, that which congregates he- teregoneous things j humid, that which is not eafily contained in itsown bounds dry, the con¬ trary.
c Cap. 3. - c As there are four Elements, there muft be four conjun8:ions of the primary qualities, from each of which the Elements are leverally colle&ed. The firft conjuii8:ion is of hot and dry, whence proceedeth tire ^ the fecond hot and moilf, whence Air ^ the third of moifl: and cold, whence Watery the fourth of cold and dry, whence Earth. In each of thefe one quality is predominant ; Earth is more dry than cold, Wa¬ ter more cold than moift. Air moft moift than hot, Fire more hot than dry.
All thefe Elements may be mutually tranfmu- tated into one another ^ the Symbolical which agree in one primary quality, are more ea¬ fily tranfinutated into one another than the af- fymbolical, becaule it is lefs difficult to change one than many. This Tranlmutation is not a Ge¬ neration, but a kind of Alteration, whence it is manileft one Element cannot be the principle of another.
, d Mixtion^ whereby the Elements concur to
iCap.-j. compofition of a mixt Body, is made by
coacervation, as Empedocles held ^ but after fuch a manner, that rheir conttary qualities remain in the mixt, not potentially only, nor fimply a£fually in their height, but in a mean kind of way, their extremities being reduced to fome temper. From this contemplation come mixt* Bodies, differing according to the various pro-
I portion of the temperament ^ and*as they are compounded of the Elements, fo they refolve into the fame.
e Cap. 8. ^ Bodies confift of all the E-
lements -, of Earth, for every thing participates of the nature of that thing whereof it is produ¬ ced 5 of Water, becaufe every mixt thing muft be concrete and terminated ^ which properties Water beft affordeth to Earthy of Air and Fire, becaufe every perfe£l mixt Body* is made by
• temperament of contraries, fiich is Air to Earth, Fire to Water. Again, the nature of all mixt Bodies, as well animate as inanimate, as to mix¬ ture is thefame,but that the animate confifts of
• all the Elements, is manifeft in that they are nou- ' rilhed by them.
/Cap. 9. f The caules and common principles of mixt bodies are three ^ material, formal, efficient. The Material is the power to be, and not to be, by which elementary things are generated and corrupted. The formalis the reafon of the effence £ Cap. 10. of every thing-, g the univerfal efficieiit is the circular motion of Heaven^ not only as being eternal, continual, and before generation, but chiefly becaufe it bringeth nigh to us, and car- lieth far from us that which hath the generative power of ail things, that is, the Sun, and the other Stars, which by their acceflion and receffion, are the caufes of generation and corruption.
■h Cap. It. ^ All thefe are fo difpofed according to the order of Nature, that becaufe no natural being can be permanent in the fame individual ftate, they may be at leaft preferved by a continual fucceffion of many individuums of the fame fpe cies. Whence the natural caufe of generation is only eonfert^ation of the fpecies.
3s
Cap. $1
CHAP. OT.
Of ImperfeU mixt Bodies.
-^TV/rlxt Bodies are twofold, imperfeli andi^^Jf*^'^’^' lyl perfeS: Meteors are imperfeft mixt Bodies produced according to' Nature, but aider a lefs orderly and conftant manner, b The ge- ^ neral matter thereof are the Elements -, the effi¬ cient, the Cceleftial Bodies which a£f upon in- ^ feriors by a kind of coherence, c Heaven is higheft pext Heaven the Element of Fire^ next Fire, Air-, under Air, Water and Earth. Clouds are not generated in the Sphere of Fire, nor in the Region of the Air, partly by reafon of the heat which is there, partly by reafon of the mo¬ tion of the Heavens which carrieth along with it the Element of Fire, and the upper Region of the Air, by which motion heat is produced in inferior Bodies ; for the Air being carried a- long by the Heaven, is heated by that motion, and by the proximity of the Sun and of the Ele¬ ment of Fire.
d E fames that appear in the upper part of i Cap.ip the Air, are made thus ^ The Sun by his warmth extraffeth a kind of breath out of the Earth, which, if hot and dry, is called exhalation^ and if hot and moift. Vapour. Exhalation afeends • higher, as being higher, and being got into the upper Region of the Air, is there enkindled by the motion of the Air, and proximity of the Fire. Hence come thofe they call Goats., fallingJiars^zn^xEQ like. F" Hence are al- e fo Bhafmes.^ fuch as are called gulfs., chafmes^ bloody colours, and the like^ th'e'' exhalation be¬ ing varioufly coloured by refledfibri of the light, but chiefly feeming purple, which 'colour ariletli from the mixture of fire and white. . ^ ,
/ The efficient caule of Comets,;are;'the Sun . and Stars j the material, an exhalation^' liot,^ dry, condenfed, and pombuftible -, fo as' it burns not much, nor is foon extinguiffied.' It is called a Comet, or airy Star, when it is alike on every fide: z pogoneia'or bearded JiaE, vv'lien it hath a long train. That it confifts of Fjre, iSjmapifeft, becaufe at the fame time, there i^. comtnoniy great wind and drought. It appeals feldom’, and then fingle, and beyond the Tropick^, 'be; caufe Stars, efpecially the Sun, diflipate the toas¬ ter whereof it confifts.''
g The Gvz/^x/V is not the light of mahyStar^ ^ together, as held, but an, ekhalatiph^ ■
hot and dry, kindled by the motion cff many great ftars, which are in that part wh^'e thg Qalaxie appeareth. ; .
h We come next to thofe Meteors wfiich, aid^ in the middle and lower Re^pn of the Air^ they are there kept fo long, until they are con¬ denfed by the cold of that place dnto., drops of wafer, which if they comedown very ,j[rniill,arq called mi/ling -, if gre.ater, ^ain. ^ '^is thick Vf-* pour, .which is febn ‘fufpended in Air, add changeth from Afr to Water, is Cloud, is the fiiperfluity of’ a Cloud, condens .d into water. ^
• f Vapour attradfed. by .a .fDiall heat no^Vap.to^ ,much above the Earth,and'deicehdtn^ more com denied by the no^urhal cold, 'beconieth either'
Dew,
f Cap. 6‘. 7.
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254
iiCap. ii» t Cap. 12.
m Cap. 15.
n Cap. 14.
a Lib. 2. cap.2,
*. 1 ‘ ,
« . ^ J -
p Cap. ^
q Cap. 4.
-
r 5.
f Cap.
ARISTOTLE.