part XIII.

EPICURUS.
The Second Part
O F
PHILOS OP H
C
P Hr S IC K-.^oy, of.^ N AT V R E.
WE now come to Phyjick : Which I ufaal- ly term Phyjtology, for that it is a DiP courfe and Ratiocination about the nature of things, in the contemplation whereof it is whol¬ ly employ’d.
We have already faid our Tcope to be, that, through Pcrfpeftion of the nature of things, no¬ thing of difturbance, either from Meteors, or from Death, or from the unknown ends of De¬ files, or any other way, may arife unto us. Now the things which thisContemplation fathoms be¬ ing fo many, and fo various, it feems very pro¬ fitable, that ( fome being engag’d in the more profound Study of the liberal Difciplines, or, through fome other bufinefs, not having leifure to know every thing particularly and exaftly, ) we have ready at leaft ( ^ ) ‘ proper cora- ‘ pendium of the whole Science of Nature, that ‘ wherlfoever they will apply their Minds to the ‘ chief arguments of things,they may be affiftent ‘ to themfelves, according to the meafm e of their ‘Knowledg, in contemplation of Nature.
‘ Befides, to thofe who have made a greater ‘ progrefs in the fpeculation of all tliings,where- ‘ of Phyfiology treatethjt is very ufeful, by fome ‘ compendious Idea, to preferve the memory ‘ of the things themfelves digefted under heads: ‘ For it often happens, that we need a general * infpedion of things but not a particular dif- ‘ quifition. This way therefore is to be obfer- ‘ ved, and this kind of ftudy continually ufed in * exercifing the Memory, that our attention to ‘ things may be conftant and ready, and in the • forms of things or notions, generally compre- ‘ hended and imprinted in the Mind, and elfe- ‘ where throughly examined, according to the ‘ firft Principles, and the terms whereby they ‘ are explained ; if any thing be particularly in- * quired, in may be found, for where fuch a con- ‘ ftancy and readinefs is gotten, and the Mind is ‘ endu’d with a general and exquifite Informati- ‘ on, we are able to underftand of a fuddain ‘ whatfoever we pleafe. I add, according to the ‘ words • Forafmuch as it not poflible, that a co- ‘ herent fum of general »heads can be frequently ‘ repeated by Heart, unlefs it fo contain every ‘ thing, as that it may be explicated in few ‘ words, even if any thing come to be examined ^ particularly.
‘ Hence it is, this courfe being moft profitable ‘ to thofe,who are inclined and addifted to Phy- ‘ fiology,that I would advife them therein, (efpe-
‘ cially if they enjoy a happy Life,) that they ‘frdmeto themfelves fome luch Epitome, and ‘ Information by general heads. But if they are not able of themfelves, that they getoneelfe- where, of which kind we have freely compofed, for the bencfit'bf the ftudions • hoping, that if what we have laid down be exadlly reraembred, as much as polfible, although a Man runs not out into all particular Arguments that njay be dif- culfed, yet (hall he obtain' a copious knowledge of Phyfiology, incomparably beyond other Men ; for he will of himfelf underftand many things in the more general work, and, committing thofe to Memory, will help himfelf, and conti¬ nually profit.
For thefe are of fuch a kind, that fuch as have made no little difcuffion of particulars, and ad¬ dicted themfelves perfectly to thefe contempla¬ tions, may thereby be enabled to raife aud corn- pleat more dilfcrtations of all Nature ^ and who- ibever of them are throbghly vers’d in thefe, revolving them taictly within themfelves, may be able in a moment, and quietly, to over- run whatfoever is moft confiderable in Phyfiology.
But not to ftay longer in the entry, there be¬ ing fo many ( as I fay, ) and var ious things con¬ tained in Phyfiology, it will he convenient to divide them into fome principal which
may afterwards be perfued particularly •, and every thing which efpecially belongs to any one of them, may be referred to it.
Thefe Seftions may by four. The firft,ofthe Vniverfe^ or the nature of things which compri- feth this World, and all other things that are be¬ yond it. The Second, of the ITbrW, this where¬ in we are, ..and by which we may conjecture of the innumerable others. The Third, of Inferior things.^ the .Earth, to which we adhere, and of the things in it. The Fourth, of Sublime things^ which are leen and produced above the Earth, and upwards from it.
SECT. I.
Of the Vniverfe^or the Nature of things.
TO begin then with the Vniverfe is mani- feft, that it is fo named, forafmuch as it containeth all things, even others befides this World 5 Whence it is alfo termed, the Whole, and, the AU j And we ufually call it, the Sum ot things, and the Nature of chings.-
B b b b a We
EPICURUS. PART XIII
556
We mufl: fiifl; fpeak generally of the things
where the Vni-verfe conjijis of vihzt the
fo many things in the Vniverfe are made •, Thirdly, By what they are made ; Fourthly, IVhat hnd they are of^ when made Fifthly, How they are made' ■, Laftly, Hoip they perijh.
CHAP. I.
That the Vniverfe conftfit of Body ^ Vacuum,
or Place.
(i) Lint. therefore, (
UfLint. Body and VdxtmmQ)) neither can there
be conceived any third Nature belides thefe.
(f } Sext. Ernp. Now, (c) Body vs is undefood by conceiting a cer¬ tain vaf heap ( us it wer c)of Alagnitude ( or Big- nefs, 'yiikewife of Figure, Refijlence, ( that is Solidity, and lrapenetrability)^zwi/^r^iwfy ^with- all, to be fuch, as it only can touch and be . touched.
(i) Lint. (d) Emptinefs, or Uacuum which is oppofed to Body, and only or properly, and in it felf, vs incorporeal, h underftoodby Negation of thefe, and cheifly from being of an intaAile Nature, and void of all Solidity, and can fuffer nor ad: any thing, hut only afford a mof free motion to Bo¬ dies puffing thongh it,
(e )Flut. The. For this is ( e) that Nature which being defli- 1 .20. iute of Body, is called Vacuum \ taken up by a Body, Place ; puffed though by a Body, Region^ confi- dered as diffufed. Interval or Space, r f ) Laen C-0 ^ Bodies in the Vniverfe, Senfe
dttejis whence it vs neceffary to deduce Conjedure from other Principles , to that which vs unmanifefi, us /formerly touched. Certainly, all thefe things which we behold, which we touch, which we turn up and down, whch we ourfelves are, are nothing but Bodies.
But [hat there is Vacuum alfo, is hence manifefl, that if it were not in Nature, Bodies would neither have where to be, nor any way to perform their Mo¬ tions *, whereas that they are moved^ vs evident.
(g) Lite ret. lib. (ff) Doqbtlefs if all were full, and the matter
1. of things crouded, as it were, together, it could
not be, but that all things mufl; be immoveable • for neither would any thing be moved, but it mufl; thurfl; forward all things •, nor would there be place left, whereinto any things might be tliruft. For whereas fome anfwer, that Fifhes tlierefo. e can movc,becaufe they leave a place be¬ hind them, into which the Water, being thrufl: for,ward,and giving place, are received , they ob- ferve not, that the firfl; impulfion forward could never begin, becaufe there is not yet any place, neither behind, nor befide, v;hereinto the Wa¬ ter may by received. So as it is neceffary, there fnould be little empty intervals of fpace within things, efpecially the fluid, into which the little Particles being driven may be fo received, that, by thecompreffion, place may be made,towards wliich, the impelling Body may be moved for¬ ward, and, in the interim, leave place behind, into which the compreffed fluid may dilate it felf, and, as it were, flow back. *
{k) Luern. loi. (b) I pafs by other Arguments, as, That _Thun- der or Soumd were not able to pafs through Walls, nor F/re to penetrate into Iron,Gold,and the tell of Metals^ unlefs in thefe there were • fbme vacuous little Spaces intermingled. Befides,
forafmuch as Gravity is proper to Bodies, the weight of things could not be made greater or ieffer, if It were not accoi ding to their having more or lefs Vacuity intermixed.
Now Uacuum, being incorporeal, is fo pene¬ trated by Bodies, whether exifting in it, or gliding by it, Chat it remains unchang’d, , and preferves the fame Dimenfions to which it is adequate. Whence a ftreight Line, taken in Ua¬ cuum, is indeed ftreight, but not fo, that it be¬ comes crooked with the Body which fills it, hs- cavik Uacuum is neither moveable in whole nor "in part.
Whence it comes, that wheras the Notion of place is, to receive the things placed to be coextended with it ; not to be moved with it nor to forfake it ; left either the Body be mo¬ ved, yet not change place ; or change place, yet not be moved : It therefore is only compe- tible to Vacuum, to have the nature of place, forafmuch as it only, both by its corporeal Di- menfious, length, breadth, and depth, is coex¬ tended with the thing placed in length, breadth, and depth, and exadly adjufted to it. Befides it is fo immoveable,th3t whether the Body come to it, or go from it, or ftay in it, it continu- eth the fame and unvariable.
That I faid, ^ ) No third Nature befide can CO Lurt. be conceived, it is for this reafon, that whether we take to be conceived comprehenfively, (in which mann^ the things, which, by themfelves and direclly faU into our knowledg 'are per¬ ceived, ) or comparatively to thofe things which are conceved, ( after which manner thefe things are underftood, which are known only by proporti¬ on, as was faid about Anticipation, ) whatfoe- verit be that is conceived, cither it hath fbme Bulk and Solidity,and fo is a Body ;,or it is void of all Bulk and Solidity, and fo it is Uacuum •, which is to be underftood, in cafe you conceive it a certain by it- felf exiftent, fuhfiffent, coheren Na¬ ture-, and not as fome adjund or accident thereof.
For fince and Adjund is a property, CO
which cannot be taken from the thing to which it belongs, without deftrudion of the thing asTadility from Body, Intadility from Uacu¬ um and in a more familiar Example,as weight from a Stone, heat from Fire, moifture from Water .• But an Accident is that,whofe prefence or abfence violates not the integrity of the Na¬ ture, ae Liberty and Servitude, Poverty and Riches, War and Peace, &c. Therefore they conftitute not fome third Nature, diftind from corporeal and incorporeal, but only arc as fom- thing appertaining to one of thefe.
CHAP. II.
That the Vniverfe is Infinite, Immoveable, and Im¬ mutable.
Ow (ff) tfe Vniverfe, confifting of Uacuum, and BodY,is\lnfinite for that which is ^ Finite hath a Bound, that which hath a Bound, is feenfrom fome other thing • or may be feen from out of an interval beyond, or without it. But theVniverfe is not feen out of any other things beyond it-, for there is no Interval, or Space, which it containeth not within it felf, otherwife it could not bean llniverfe, if it did not contain all
Space